Boasting a terrific lead one-two of Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara (heart-eyes emoji?), this Terence Malick-esque, oddly-titled crime-drama sees Affleck and Mara play Bob and Ruth, the former of whom has escaped from prison and will undergo an incredible journey in order to try and return to his one true love, the latter - and too the daughter she has given birth to since he has been away. The stars share an electric, believable chemistry, despite spending most of the film apart as director David Lowery examines both Bob's escape and Ruth's adjustment to life at home without him. The few scenes they share together, including the heartbreaking climax, show the couple to be deeply in love, Badlands-style but sweeter when you realise that Ruth isn't fifteen like Sissy Spacek is in Malick's obviously superior film. But still, those Malick comparisons are apt here for Lowery, the director's frames awash with panoramic vistas of empty fields and desolate landscapes and sound-tracked to solemn, lovelorn voice-overs from the determined Bob. Bolstered by a fine supporting performance from the undersung Ben Foster, Ain't Them Bodies Saints announces the arrival of a major new director.
