Badlands (1973)
Writer/Director: Terrence Malick
Stars: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Ramon Bieri, Alan Vint, Gary Littlejohn, John Carter, Bryan Montgomery, Gail Thelkeld, Charles Fitzpatrick
Holly (Sissy Spacek), a 15-year-old girl living in a North Dakota town, falls under the influence of twentysomething social misfit Kit (Martin Sheen).
When her father (Warren Oates) stands in their way, Kit kills him and hits the road with Holly, who thinks she is in love with him.
They hide out in the wilderness for a while, and then go on the run, killing several people along the way.
Director/screenwriter Terrence Malick has given us characters that are emotionally barren, as reflected by the barren landscapes of North Dakota.
They occasionally seem happy together, but most of the time they seem emotionally flat and detached from their own feelings; Holly seems as if she is in a constant state of shock.
Malick's style is almost like that of a documentary, presenting the events and trusting us to draw our own conclusions.
Sheen and Spacek, both at the beginnings of their careers, show a great deal of talent.
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