To begin, I've felt that 2005 was an excellent year in cinema, especially American cinema. Some of the greatest directors were showing growth and producing works that truly reflected their searching within themselves for some meaning, some pure artistic truth. So many films have had a profound impact on me as a film viewer, which is particularly surprising at a point when it seems that every story had been told, and that originality is impossible. The best films that were released in the cinemas in 2005, for me were (in alphabetical order):
2046
Batman Begins
Brokeback Mountain
The Constant Gardener
Good Night, and Good Luck
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Kingdom of Heaven
Kung Fu Hustle
Match Point
Munich
Oldboy
Paradise Now
Syriana
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
I would consider all of the films from that list to be 4 or 4.5 stiletto-rated films, and every one of them a wonderful achievement contributing to an exceptional year in film, spanning different genres and styles of storytelling. Some are very serious, and others are lighter, but all are, in my opinion, fantastic.
On an average of about one or two per year, I will come upon a 5-stiletto film, but this is a rating that I try to be very careful about before giving to a movie, since it is of course, the highest rating. This score does not mean that the film is perfect, but I consider that among a group of excellent films, one of them will transcend the others. One of those among the 4- or 4.5-stiletto will somehow reflect the others in power, will reach just a little bit further into my emotions, and will leave me with the feeling of having seen something monumental.
This reaction is definitely a subjective one, and perhaps many of you will have lists very similar to mine, except that the film you choose as the 5-stiletto (or 5-star) film could differ. But for me, when I watched the film that I will name next, the choice was very clear.
The year 2005 in cinema did produce a 5-stiletto film for me, and this film is Terrence Malick's The New World.
With The New World, Terrence Malick is revisiting many of the themes he explored with The Thin Red Line and Days of Heaven, but in my opinion he has achieved a greater mastery of those similar themes, and in a completely different era and context, brought audiences a poetic, moving, and visually sublime masterpiece.
The story begins on the coast of Virginia with the arrival of English colonialists, among whom is John Smith (Colin Farrell). They are quickly ordered to begin forming the fenced colony, and the mutinous John Smith is pardoned on this new land. We understand that he is not of the same mindset as his compatriots, and for him this arrival represents a new beginning, an opportunity to live independently from the dependence on others, as well as their dominion over him. The settlers' knowledge of the "Naturals" is minimal, and quickly they learn that there are many obstacles they were not prepared for in starting their colony.
The Natives are curious about these strange men with unusual garments and ornaments, and the cultures of the two peoples are radically different. Among the Natives (Algonquin Natives of Virginia), we see the young Pocahontas (Q'Orianka Kilcher), a radiant and spirited girl who will learn about the settlers to help give her father, the leader of the tribe, a deeper understanding of them.
The portrayal of Native Americans in this film is exciting, almost frightening, but at the same time completely natural, tender, and beautiful. The culmination of all of the elements of the Native people is found in Pocahontas, and Q'Orianka Kilcher radiates such gentle power and innocent allure that it felt as though I had to stop my breaths and heart beats to not interfere with her soft elegance. She, more than any other aspect of the film, most organically joins with the story itself, and appears not only as though she came directly from Malick's dreams, but perhaps also all of our own dreams.
All the different elements of the film fit so well together, and somehow the 17th century feels very real through what's conveyed in The New World: the lifestyles, customs, tools, clothing, and constructions for both settlers and Natives. The music and cinematography are splendid, and contribute to the emotional allurement of the film.
One reason for this film's impact on me has to do with how emotion is conveyed and consequently brought out in the viewer. There are none of the tricks in characterization, use of music, or plot to force emotional responses from the viewer. In some sense, the film tries to tell the story in a very straightforward way, but there also a sense of an idyllic poetry in the way the story is told. From the beginning, I was expecting more of an epic-style story, but finally this is a love story that appears to be part of a larger tale. There is often the sense of wonder that might be felt if you were in the same situation as one of the characters. The viewer is easily pulled into the story, and implied dangers or emotions are effectively drawn in the viewer's mind. And because of this, the film is able to surprise.
Some time passes in the course of the story, and while watching the film, I was beginning to feel its length some time in the third act (I am not sure of how to classify a story into acts, but if I had to give an answer I would say that this one had four acts). And for a few moments, I was beginning to fear that this movie was going to enter into perhaps too much introspection, that it would lose some of its magic.
And then the fourth act began, and The New World was elevated from an excellent film to the glorious achievement that I now consider it to be. Until that point, the film had begun very strongly, and there was so much beauty and power in all aspects. Towards the third quarter, elements and characters began to settle, and I started to become comfortable as I watched it, beginning to wonder what the film was leading to. And by the fourth act, to express it simply, we are given a vision of purity, wonder, love, and life.
