With "Selma" (2014) and "Arrival" (2016), among others, cinematographer Bradford Young has proved himself one of today's most talented. In "Ain't Them Bodies Saints", Young worked with promising writer-director David Lowery and great actors such as Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster. In addition to this, the film has a well-composed score by Daniel Hart. In short, this is a movie well worth watching.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a surrealist painting about love and what one will do to find love, and that includes breaking out of prison and avoiding the authorities. Now this film is not for everyone's taste, but I was enthralled by the film. Not only was the story captivating, the visuals were excellent. And I'm not talking about explosions and CGI. I'm talking about the cinematography and the excellent country shots. This is one of those westerns nobody has ever seen, and it is our jobs to make sure that this great movie is seen.David Lowery's film is about a Texas outlaw couple in the 1970's. After a shootout, Bob Muldoon is sentenced to 25 years in prison. Bob suddenly decides to escape prison to reunite with his wife, Ruth Guthrie and his daughter that he has never met.The acting is excellent. Casey Affleck is in another western after 2007's Robert Ford film, but I think he does better in this film. It's more suitable for his persona. Rooney Mara does an excellent job and she perfectly compliments Affleck. Ben Foster delivers a fine, toned-down performance. Finally, Keith Carradine does a good job as an actual homage to the 70's.Overall, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a poetic masterpiece that is led by strong acting and mesmerizing visuals. The plot is a little conventional, but it is one of those plots I can enjoy over and over again. It's a shame how the film couldn't even break a million dollars at the box office, because in my opinion this film should have had a couple Academy Awards to its name. But I guess the film is an acquired taste. I rate this film 9/10.

"Every day I wake up thinking today's the day I'm gonna see you. And one of those days, it will be so."David Lowery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints was one of my most anticipated films of 2013 after hearing about it in the Sundance Film Festival, but one I never got around to watching until now. Despite having a predictable story, the film was appealing thanks to the strong cast and beautiful cinematography which helped establish a unique lyrical mood to an otherwise familiar tale of love on the run. The script is also well written despite a slow build up, but it includes poetic moments as well that made this feel like a Terrence Malick film at times. The dialogue blended perfectly with the beautiful photographed scenes in the Texas fields which gave the film a more romantic tone. I enjoyed the slow build up and the poetic moments which never hurt the actual pacing of the film. David Lowery has proved with his work here that he is a director we should keep our eyes on. The film is visually stunning and that is what elevates it from other similar films.The film takes place in the Texas Hill Country during the 70's where we are introduced to a young couple, Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) and Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara), who are deeply in love. They also happen to be bank robbers who find themselves caught up in the middle of a gunfight with the police. Ruth wounds one of the officer's, Patrick Wheeler (Ben Foster), but Bob takes the blame after they end up surrendering. Bob is sentenced to several years in prison, while Ruth who was pregnant at the time is set free. In prison, Bob writes to Ruth almost at a daily basis worrying about their newborn daughter and promising them that they will soon be reunited. Skerritt (Keith Carradine), the man who had raised Ruth and Bob when they were young kids, gives Ruth a nice house where she can settle and raise her baby. After four years in prison, Bob escapes and tries to return to Ruth to fulfill his promise to her, but the police are searching all over for him. He finds a place to hide out at his friend's, Sweetie's (Nate Parker) bar and writes to Ruth letting her know he will come for her and his daughter, but Skerritt knows that this might endanger the girls lives so he warns Bob to stay away. The question is whether or not the young couple can resist staying away from each other for their daughter's sake.A lot of credit for the success of this film has to be given to the cast. Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck give convincing performances and share a lot of chemistry together. If there was no chemistry between them the entire romantic drama would've fallen flat because much of the story relies on their connection. Their characters are sympathetic and we are drawn to them as an audience. The supporting turn from Ben Foster and Keith Carradine also adds more depth to the film because they all want the best for Ruth and her daughter. The story is told through their emotions more than through their words and that is what makes this film stand out from other romantic dramas with a similar premise. Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a visually satisfying experience with powerful performances and an engaging climax at the end.

Greetings again from the darkness. Finally catching up with this one after it received such critical raves on the festival circuit last year. It's one of those films that cause so many "normal" movie goers to question the tastes of critics. It certainly has the look and feel of a terrific independent art-house film, but as they say, looks can be deceiving.The cast is outstanding and play off each other and the setting exceedingly well. Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Ben Foster and Keith Carradine are a pleasure to watch ... they make it easy to KNOW these characters. Daniel Hart's score is the perfect balance of haunting and complimentary - understated at its best. The most exceptional thing of all is the cinematography of Bradford Young. The look of the film is right there with the best of Terrence Malick ... and that amplifies the film's biggest problem. The story is highly recollective of Malick's Badlands, and that's where the shortcomings jump out. There is just not much substance to this story.Writer/director David Lowery is a definite talent, but his dependency on look and feel prevent this one from reaching greatness. We recognize immediately that this can't end well. The only question is how badly will it get for each of the main characters. Crime may not pay, but some criminals just seem to keep paying ... and drag down others with them. For those that enjoy the indies, this is one to catch up with ... and filmmaker David Lowery's best work is still ahead of him.