#151: Badlands (1973) | Youth and Impulse
Written & Directed by Terrence Malick. Starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek.
In 1973, Terrence Malick began his career with one of the greatest directorial debuts of all time: Badlands. Using crowdfunding and his connections, Malick was able to create a dreamlike but somewhat disturbing portrayal of what true youthful impulsiveness looks like.
Badlands is loosely based off of the Starkweather homicides of 1957. It tells the story of Kit (Martin Sheen), a 25-year-old wannabe James Dean who ends up forming a strong bond with a 15 year old Holly (Sissy Spacek). Kit is predatory and relations between him and Holly are implied (extremely tasteful) before he kills Holly’s father and the two decide to run off together. This starts a long murder spree that takes us all the way through the beautiful American West.
Badlands is a remarkably reflective film. It takes its time to explore the consequences of impulsive behavior, and the fact that youth is typically drawn to this more so than others. Easily manipulated and prone to going where the wind takes them, Malick clearly shows the consequences of this in full and ugly detail. Kit can be seen or interpreted as a manifestation of the Devil. If you let him in just a little bit he will come in and take control and you will just be stuck in the passenger seat, as Holly is. She continuously sits by and goes “Eh, whatever” as Kit continues to escalate things and pull her in deeper and deeper. She is intrigued by him and somewhat frightened by him at times, but has no desire to stand up to him. Holley’s go-with-the-flow type behavior something that seems to be present in all young generations, and not per se exclusive to Gen Alpha.
The major enigma of this film is, however, Kit. Expertly played by Martin Sheen, this character is mysterious and acts in ways that sometimes seem illogical. It is very clear from the beginning that despite his charming charisma and perceived easygoing nature, he is the furthest thing from that. The greaser archetype of the 1950s certainly had a reputation for being violent and disruptive, but Kit takes this to a whole new level, probably to its most extreme limit. The film presents the idea of a greaser transitioning from a potentially violent and rebellious youth into a fully formed serial killer. This does track with the real Charles Starkweather, who killed 12 people in about the course of a month.
The biggest and most daunting question around the entire film is simple: Why? Why kill all these people? Why run around? Why end things the way you choose to end them? The truth is that there aren’t easy answers to these questions. People under the effect of sin act illogically and unpredictably. God designed the universe to act in harmony, and that which is logical and moral is of God. When you depart from this, you separate yourself from Him.
Departing from these certainly is a demonstration of our own pride, which is a cornerstone of Kit’s character. Is most likely why he chooses to end things the way he does. His disturbing notion that his reasons for the killings were “just something to do, I guess” is a clear manifestation of the warning St. Paul gave us in Philippians 4:8
The idle mind is the Devil’s playground.
Badlands carries a dream-like feel to it that dulls the violence but nevertheless acts in a hypnotic manner. Right out of the gate, Malick demonstrates his unusual style of heavy voiceovers and beautiful shot composition. Shockingly enough, he went through three different cinematographers over the course of shooting. The first one quit halfway through because he could not stand his unorthodox method of shooting, and the second one filled in until an official replacement could be found in the third. Despite all of these changes, Badlands is seamless and its imagery and style, showing that the true man with the vision was in fact Malick.
There is a distinct benefit to voice over in all of his films. They give us a very intimate view of his characters and an insight into the internal monologue. These internal monologues often give us unique insight into the characters and are super in-depth, meaning that they are not overkill or wasted moments. None of Badlands is wasted, and it is a highly efficient and well paced film with no fat. Sissy Spacek for being as young as she is, absolutely crushes every monologue she’s given, and was perfectly casted to play Holly. Martin Sheen of course steals the show; it feels every much of this character as an actor could possibly hope for.
Badlands is a cautionary tale against bad influences, impulsive behavior, and spiritual lethargy. It bases itself off of real life events to deconstruct the greaser archetype and so the ocean that a man who acts violently is someone to be sought after, but rather someone to be avoided. It’s a strong warning against going with the flow and it’s a call to arms to have a strong base so as not to be swept off by the whims of the devil.