A second look at the New World

Rating: 10/10 (24 January 2006)

Okay, I've just come back from a second viewing of The New World. The first time I saw it, I was stunned. The movie slowly wove a spell over me that I can't explain but that was more powerful in it's effect than any I can remember. I've been around for 52 years, and this just might be the single best film I've ever seen.
I wanted to go back today and see if this impact was just something in the theater I accidentally inhaled. But even more, I wanted to try and resist getting swept up so as to see how the magic was woven and where it came from. I've read dozens of negative reviews of this movie, some of them vitriolic. Some people have watched the exact same thing as I have and consider it the worst they've ever seen or heard. It's long, boring, pointless, pretentious, poorly written, a mess. I really wanted to try and see it from that vantage. Do they have a point?
I tried. I really did. But somewhere along the line, I think maybe when the Naturals show up out of the misty snow with their gifts of food and life, I got caught up again and lost my objectivity. By the end, when Rebecca does those cartwheels on the dam of that little pond, my eyes were rimmed with tears again. I don't like to cry at movies. I rarely, rarely do. I don't like movies that make me cry. I guess this is an exception. And the miraculous thing is, I can't even identify the emotion that wells up inside me. Sadness? Joy? I don't know. It's a mixture of things. But it's powerful, powerful.
One thing I want to put to rest right now. Many critics who don't like this film say it's sloppily constructed, with lots of pointless nature shots designed to take up screen time for no reason other than to look pretty and thereby be pretentious. Many, even those who like it, seem to think the narrative is weak and unnecessary. I paid close attention to those criticisms as I watched. And I don't believe there's a single frame or a single word in this movie that isn't there for a purpose. On my second viewing, I could see more clearly some of the symbolism of light and darkness and many other things. The words spoken "privately" by the characters are not teen-diary level filler material as some have charged...every statement has a point to it and some is profoundly moving. However, I will say that it took two viewings to understand some of the dialog. I can't explain why it's not spoken more clearly.
I still don't know exactly the source of the magic, but I'm sure it lies in the combination of the stunning visuals and the unbelievable music, and the superb acting done by everyone without exception. I didn't realize the first time, but I do now, what a crucial role both sound and music play in this film. They are perfectly synchronized to the pictures. It's simply never been done better.
The ending of this thing is sublime. I knew what was going to happen, and how it was going to happen, in every detail and it still hit me like a runaway train and left me sitting there, through the credits, not even wanting to move. There were eleven other people in the theater with me (This was an early matinÃ©e), and one left after the last fade to black. All the others sat there, except for the few that came down to the front and just stood there, staring at the credits.
It's simply extraordinary, and I feel a sadness for those who can't or won't put forth the effort it takes to open themselves up a little bit, slow down, and drink in this magical potion.