actions are shown, but not causes. Affleck is a symbol instead of a character. Bardem's story is a tenuous parallel and often jarring. dialogue is at its functional minimum, supported by the least amount of voice-over Malick has ever used.

even with all of that, I was ready to follow -- Kurylenko is often shown from a POV perspective, beckoning to chase her in whatever fleeting moment she's in -- but there is not enough here to keep in pursuit.

Malick *needs* his voice-overs. McAdams' and Kurylenko's spoken thoughts are about the only instances of emotion in the movie, and too rare. Bardem's journey was disparate and clunky, with a conclusion that hardly seems earned. it's not a movie that fully meditates on the impulses of love. nor does it make a coherent relation to the search for God. and the tying links between both attempts are thin -- as is the water theme that recurs without impact.

like the empty house Affleck and Kuryklenko never seemed to settle into, this is the first Malick film I couldn't connect with.