Upon leaving the preview screening, The Music heard snippets of several conversations all essentially saying the same thing: "The cinematography was brilliant, but I didn't really get it."
Put simply, Knight Of Cups is not a conventional piece, and it will more than likely polarise viewers. Jam-packed with stars, Knight Of Cups follows Christian Bale's character Rick, a screenwriter (there isn't much to indicate that, mind you) who spends his time wandering through LA, caught up in strings of love affairs, family disputes, and celebrity parties. Bale barely opens his mouth throughout the film; instead, the entire film is narrated with riddles and allegories by his character - sometimes they're more straightforward, and other times they are entirely baffling, or simply aren't as impacting. As such, Knight Of Cups is an incredibly bizarre experience, particularly for one who is not familiar with director Terrance Malik's previous work.
Knight Of Cups asks a lot of the audience, essentially relying on them to deconstruct the montage of images presented and draw meaning from them. There's a lot that can be open to interpretation - breaking up the film into 'chapters', if you will, with Tarot-based headings (Moon, Hanged Man, High Priestess, Death), they are the best indicators one has of exactly what is taking place. There's a likeable sense of uniqueness to the storytelling, and the film will certainly stick to people's minds. Whether it's for the right or wrong reasons is another thing entirely.
