Terrence Malick’s ‘Song to Song’ tells the story of a love triangle set against the backdrop of the music industry and live concerts.
With this film, Malick completed the diptych he began with Knight of Cups. Both productions were filmed almost simultaneously, although ‘Song to Song’ was released two years later.
Two interconnected love triangles unfold. On one side, there’s the couple formed by songwriters Faye (Rooney Mara) and BV (Ryan Gosling). On the other, there’s music producer Cook (Michael Fassbender) and his waitress girlfriend (Natalie Portman). All three are striving for success while grappling with obsession and betrayal in the Austin, Texas music scene.
Throughout the film, we delve into the innermost thoughts of the main characters: the rising star singer (BV, played by Ryan Gosling), the ruthless music industry mogul who feeds off the talent of others (Michael Fassbender as Cook), and the girl who sees the world from her perspective: “Life should be lived one song at a time” (Rooney Mara as Faye).
Rooney Mara plays a woman in love with two men: a musician (Ryan Gosling) and a producer (Michael Fassbender). Natalie Portman plays a waitress who has an affair with Fassbender. Cate Blanchett becomes involved with Ryan Gosling at one point, and they are seemingly engaged to be married.