The Tree of Lincoln; Amplify to Face Adversity with A.J. Edwards’ “Better Angels”

Joining their other Sundance pick-up (God Help The Girl), the folks at the newly minted Amplify have picked up the rights to A.J. Edwards’ Sundance-Berlin preemed directorial debut. Topping Jordan M. Smith’s 2014 Sundance Film Fest slate, The Better Angels will be set for a theatrical release in fall.

Gist: This is a story of the childhood of one of America’s greatest leaders, Abraham Lincoln. Spanning nearly three years in the stark wilderness of Indiana, it tells of the hardships that shaped him, the tragedy that marked him forever and the two women (Brit Marling and Diane Kruger) who guided him to immortality.

Worth Noting: Edwards has worked on Terrence Malick items such as The New World, The Tree of Life, To The Wonder, and Knight of Cups.

Do We Care?: In his 4 1/2 star review, Jordan suggests that “The Better Angels is nothing if not an incredibly alive, wholly cohesive work that rides on the back of Malick’s prodigious approach to filmmaking, while sticking more firmly to narrative stringency than his mentor’s last few endeavors.” Chalk this up as a must see.