Taglines: Fragments of a melancholy soul loathing the L.A. vacant life.
Once there was a young prince whose father, the king of the East, sent him down into Egypt to find a pearl. But when the prince arrived, the people poured him a cup. Drinking it, he forgot he was the son of a king, forgot about the pearl and fell into a deep sleep. The King sent many messengers out for his son, in the hopes that one will reach him and guide him home.
Ricks father used to read this story to him as a boy. Rick (Christian Bale) is now a screenwriter living in present-day Santa Monica. He longs for something other, something beyond the life he knows, without knowing quite what it is, or how to go about finding it. He doesnt know which way to turn.
The death of his brother, Billy, hangs over him like a shadow. His father, Joseph (Brian Dennehy), bears a sense of guilt for Billys death. A surviving brother, Barry (Wes Bentley), down on his luck, has just moved to LA from where they grew up, in Missouri. Rick has been helping him get back on his feet.
Rick seeks distraction in the company of women: Della (Imogen Poots); Nancy (Cate Blanchett), a physician he was once married to; a model named Helen (Freida Pinto); Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), a married woman he made pregnant; a stripper named Karen (Teresa Palmer); and a young woman who helps him to see his way forward, Isabel (Isabel Lucas).
Women seem to him to know more than he does. They bring him closer to the heart of things, closer to the mystery. The highs haven’t added up. The parties, the dalliances, the career none has satisfied. And still each woman, each man he’s met through the course of his life has served him in some way as a guide, a messenger.
The road to the East stretches out before him. Will he set forth? Will his courage fail him? Will he stay awake? Or will he let it all be just a dream, a hope, a passing fancy?
The film is divided into eight chapters, plus a prologue, each loosely based around the central character Rick’s relationship with somebody in his life. Every chapter is named after a tarot card (as is the title of the film), except for the final chapter Freedom.
Knight of Cups is an American experimental film written and directed by Terrence Malick and produced by Nicolas Gonda and Sarah Green. It stars Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Antonio Banderas, Brian Dennehy, Freida Pinto, Imogen Poots, Isabel Lucas, Teresa Palmer and Wes Bentley. The film premiered in the main competition section at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on February 8, 2015. The film is released on March 4, 2016, in the United States by Broad Green Pictures.
The title of the film is taken from the tarot card the Knight of Cups. The story in Knight of Cups is loosely inspired by and at times quotes directly from both the 1678 Christian allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress, and the passage Hymn of the Pearl from the Acts of Thomas.
Knight of Cups
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Starring: Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Brian Dennehy, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Isabel Lucas, Teresa Palmer, Imogen Poots
Screenplay by: Terrence Malick
Production Design by: Jack Fisk
Cinematography by: Emmanuel Lubezki
Film Editing by: A.J. Edwards, Keith Fraase, Geoffrey Richman, Mark Yoshikawa
Costume Design by: Jacqueline West
Set Decoration by: Beauchamp Fontaine
Art Direction by: Ruth De Jong
Music by: Hanan Townshend
MPAA Rating: R for some nudity, sexuality and language
Studio: Broad Green Pictures, StudioCanal
Release Date: March 4, 2016
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