Climax of the movie no one mentions - My review SPOILERS

Reading these posts and reviews written by critics, a lot of people miss the boat.

The thing that I found the most interesting, is that Malick had a similar experience - marrying a french woman, divorce, and reconnecting with an old flame (look in the TRIVIA section). So the film is semi-autobiographical.

With Malick, I think it is semi-autobiographical not because it is an interesting story (little actually happens throughout the film), but because it is his honest representation to depict the various forms of love, and balance them against love in terms of religion, and spiritual love.

Throughout the entire movie, the priest (Bardem) is speaking to his congregation, or to God, about love. He says something to the effect of 'love comes with risks of betrayal, etc.' He talks about having to work for love, and if your love is dead, it is awaiting to be transfigured. He says you have to love.

The climax of the movie that nobody is talking about is that Neil (Affleck) forgives Marina (Kurylenko). Neil marries Marina is church - through the eyes of the church (and God - if your Catholic), they are married forever. In sickness, health, infidelity or not - with Catholicism there is no divorce, or at least, it is hard to come by. After Neil separates from Marina, and files a divorce, he is seen with the priest - tending to the sick, finding God. Thus, coming to terms with anger and learning to let go. We then see a scene of Neil kissing Marina's hands (not a flashback). Regardless of his letting go, the relationship still ends. But Neil's act of forgiving Marina is Malick's ode to Catholicism that seems to be the basis of his last two films. It's his way of saying that there is a spiritual, cosmic, form of love between man and wife - that is similar to the way 'Christ loves his church.'