A tale of an outlaw couple set against the backdrop of 1970s Texas, “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” immediately drew comparisons to Terrence Malick’s “Badlands”, but this, director David Lowery’s breakout hit, is a brave, raw and visually stunning film that never tries to imitate the classics despite being clearly influenced by them.
“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” is a slow-burning romantic crime drama that unfolds against the gorgeous Texas plains through the lens of DP Bradford Young, who well earned a Special Jury Prize from Sundance for his cinematography. “I love the myth of the American outlaw, and I wanted to play around with it and take it apart a little bit. There’s so much of America wrapped up in that ideology,” said Lowery, and this passion comes across on screen. The film feels like a classic already, old-fashioned to an extent but also a timeless tale of love, family and limits – and almost as if the director is beginning a fresh re-examination of these outlaw tales of old.
