Life Above the Clouds: Philosophy in the Films of Terrence Malick

Abstract

As its name implies, Life Above the Clouds: Philosophy in the Films of Terrence Malick gestures to Terrence Malick's ongoing interest in the philosophical qualities of transcendence in cinema. But moreover, this reference—quoted from the character Franziska Jägerstätter (Valerie Pachner) in Malick's A Hidden Life (2019)—also signals a continuing intellectual inquiry into Malick's stirring, provocative, and often puzzling cinematic work. In response to Malick's increased output of films, beginning in the early 2010s until now, many commentators have brought more scholarly attention to his work. Steven DeLay's expansive collection of essays in this anthology proves that the subject of Malick is far from exhausted, and continues to affirm this filmmaker as an arousing artist of aesthetic, philosophical, and cinematic intrigue. DeLay's impressive collection contains nineteen essays from over twenty contributors from a variety of philosophical, theological, literary, and poetic perspectives. While Malick is famously regarded for his early education in philosophy, and there has been much written already on the inherent philosophical themes throughout his filmography, Life Above the Clouds stands, perhaps unexpectedly, as a progressive and expanding addition to the current scholarship. Moreover, the book harbours a larger body of contributors in a single text than any prior substantial publication on Malick.