The Better Angels

If you didn’t know who directed this film, you would certainly guess Terrence Malick. In his directorial debut, A.J. Edwards proves to be a loyal disciple to Malick, someone he has worked with for nearly a decade. With a similar unhurried narrative, heavily stylized shots, and extensive voiceover commentary, Edwards’ film features everything that we are familiar with from the maker of The Tree of Life. The young director decided to use this esthetic to tell us the story of Abraham Lincoln’s lesser-known, childhood years, setting the story in Indiana in 1817. We learn about the future American president mainly through stories told in a calm, measured manner by his cousin Dennis. In reality, this film is as much about Lincoln’s family as it is about Lincoln himself. It is about the two women who had the greatest influence on him: his mother, who died prematurely, and his stepmother, who took care of him after his mother’s death. This is confirmed by what Lincoln says at the beginning of the film, All that I am I owe to my angelic mother.