Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013)

Directed by: David Lowery
Country: USA

Movie Review: The first scenes of “Ain’t Them Bodies Saint” were the premise to what would be a notable independent film. In a fantastic sequence of images set up in a field of Texas, Ruth (Rooney Mara) shows her love for the outlaw on the run, Bob (Casey Affleck), telling him that she’s expecting a baby and doesn’t want to go to jail. After a shooting with the authorities, Ruth wounds officer Patrick Wheeler (Ben Foster), but is Bob who claims responsibility, getting arrested and sentenced to several years in prison. Nine months later, she gives birth to a little girl and curiously gets the protection of Patrick who creates a special bond with her daughter, while Bob, unable to stand apart from his family, escapes from prison after five failed attempts. However, all the cops and some reward hunters have an eye on his family and are ready to prevent him to see the daughter he has never met. Although patient and reflective most of the time, the film lets us sense a constant tension in the story along with an oppressive atmosphere. Indoor scenes were set with yellowish and dark reddish hues, while some outdoors images were picturesquely shot in counter-light, creating a diverging ambiance. The script, a love story marked by sacrifice of a forced separation, was positively structured by helmer David Lowery, becoming affectionate in its final scenes, where a tired Bob shows his huge will to redeem himself and have a family life as anybody else. As he said: ‘I used to be the devil, but now I’m just a man’.