December 23, 2025
Slow cinema, fast flame wars
Terrence Malick's Disciples
Are dreamy shots genius or pretentious? Fans fight over Malick vibes
TLDR: Malick’s dreamy style is shaping buzzy films like Nickel Boys, Hamnet, and Train Dreams, sparking a battle between devotees and doubters. Fans call Tree of Life transcendent, critics cry pretension, and a side squad insists Tarkovsky is the real ghost in the frame—why this matters for modern storytelling.
Terrence Malick’s fingerprints are everywhere, and the comments are absolutely vibing (or fuming) about it. RaMell Ross’s Oscar-nominated Nickel Boys leans into that poetic, collage-like style, while Chloé Zhao brings Malickian nature-and-soul shots to Hamnet and even her Marvel detour Eternals. Clint Bentley’s Sundance darling Train Dreams (snapped up by Netflix) caps the trend with a quiet man hitting transcendence mid–plane ride—classic Malick mood.
But the community is split into camps. The Malick devotees gush over The Tree of Life—one fan calls it a masterpiece and swoons over that iconic low-angle shot of The Mother floating across the plains. The skeptics clap back, accusing “disciples” of riding coattails and ducking the basics of film language; one snarks that it’s disciples without the teacher’s feedback. Others say Malick is an acquired frequency: if you’re tuned in, it’s spiritual; if not, it’s white noise. Cue romance: a commenter literally engraved Mrs. O’Brien’s words on wedding bands—cinephile goals.
Then the plot twist: a Tarkovsky faction claims Americans miss the Russian master’s fingerprints and plug Stalker. Meanwhile, “best Malick movie not by Malick”? One user points to Here. Verdict: slow cinema sparks fast drama, and the vibe wars are deliciously messy.
Key Points
- •RaMell Ross’s Nickel Boys (2024) adapts Colson Whitehead’s novel with an impressionistic style, earning critical acclaim and a Best Picture nomination.
- •Ross accepted the Nickel Boys project after learning a producer had worked on Malick’s The Tree of Life, underscoring Malick’s influence.
- •Chloé Zhao’s works, including Eternals and her latest Hamnet, draw on Malick’s The Tree of Life and The New World for stylistic inspiration.
- •Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams premiered at Sundance and was acquired by Netflix; its structure and themes evoke Malick’s sensibility, with Joel Edgerton starring.
- •The article outlines Malick’s career arc and signature methods—nontraditional storytelling, lyrical montage—and notes sustained critical acclaim.