(Terence Malick / USA / 2005 / 35mm / 150mins / 12A)
It is a testament to Malick’s enduring skill that he has managed to build up a reputation a one of America’s greatest ever filmmakers based on a mere handful of films over a 30 year period. The New World, his second film since 1980, is a worthy addition to this slim body of work. Engaging with his continuing theme of the mythologisation of American history the film is a transcendent analysis of the conquering of the new world, and an attempt to address the story of Pocahontas free of all the usual trappings of rosy historical drama. Brutal and poetic the film puts artistry back in epic and makes a man of Colin Farrel.