David Lowery has constructed a beautiful, atmospheric, little indie film with this 1970's Texas crime melodrama. At every point where Lowery could have added Hollywood flourishes and gimmicks to make the film more commercial he refuses to do so. The result is a thin crime & punishment type plot that functions as a canvas for this tone poem about passion and tragedy. I don't know if I could say there's anything ultimately redemptive about these sad, doomed characters but perhaps it's enough to say that they possess a degree of humanity that makes us pity them for the choices they've made. This is another triumph for Rooney Mara who is excellent as a strong, young woman who desires a better life and a man who can't get it for her. There's great irony in the way events turn out for her and it's all totally believable. I was also impressed with Casey Affleck's performance as her lover and small time criminal. In supporting roles there's Nate Parker as a friend of Affleck; Ben Foster's sympathetic police officer and Keith Carradine soaring as a town elder and father figure to Rooney and Affleck. "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" is a great looking picture and Bradford Young deserves all the praise he has earned for his cinematography.

With "Selma" (2014) and "Arrival" (2016), among others, cinematographer Bradford Young has proved himself one of today's most talented. In "Ain't Them Bodies Saints", Young worked with promising writer-director David Lowery and great actors such as Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster. In addition to this, the film has a well-composed score by Daniel Hart. In short, this is a movie well worth watching.

The trailer is what drew me to this movie and I can say I made no mistake in giving it a try. The photography is sublime. Every scene was both simple in details and poignant in nature. It was very peaceful and easy on the eye. The main cast was solid but though not a fan of Casey Affleck's voice, I must admit it suited his character very well this time. The score carried the movie almost more than the actors at times. Daniel Hart's song "Ruth and Sylvie" was mesmerizing. All along the movie I felt the soundtrack showed a strong presence but never detracts the viewer by being excessive. I won't say much about the story because the trailer gives away too much to my liking. I would recommend this one as long as you keep in mind the movie pacing is quite slower than depicted in the trailer.