Ain't Them Bodies Saints

More often than not, a film can say more by saying absolutely nothing at all.

That case is true in David Lowery’s “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints,” making his mainstream debut with this quiet meditation on rural life and the bonds we choose to make.

In the exposition, we’re introduced to Ruth and Bob, a young couple on a crime spree that ends in blood and Bob’s arrest. But Bob takes the blame for Ruth, who’s pregnant.

It’s not as if we haven’t been asked to cheer for criminals on film before. But something about Rooney Mara’s performance leaves you unable to judge Ruth. Mara embodies that same shielded ferocity she earned an Academy Award nomination for in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and earlier this year in the equally fantastic “Side Effects.”

We also sympathize with Bob, played by Casey Affleck. The contrast of Ruth’s maternal touch against Bob never having met his daughter forges an undeniable understanding for the lost father.

As Bob spends years in jail, Ruth raises the daughter he’s never met. She also strikes up a somewhat ambiguous relationship with the cop she injured, played by Ben Foster.

It’s in these indefinite and uncolored relationships that the film finds its minimalistic stride. We aren’t always sure of Ruth or Bob’s intentions or feelings, but this is a strength as opposed to a shortcoming. Lowery trusts his actors and the audience to fill in their own understanding of these complex characters.

As tensions pull to the breaking point and the blood begins to spill, the film often leaves the quiet in the dust, and Lowery stages some brilliant chases and shoot outs. But the film never becomes a western with gun slingers and cowboy hats.

“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” is too grounded in reality and human connection for that. It’s too busy exploring the bounds people will go to protect one another and, sometimes, even themselves.

As with most independent movies, this one may have flown too far under the radar for mass American audiences to pick up on.

But therein lies the excitement in seeking out such a raw and emotional roller coaster of a film. It remains something intimate and personal, something you share with a few close friends and maybe sometimes just yourself.

“Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” has that effect. It’s a small film with a leviathan impression.