Rhizomatic-Topological Analysis of Image in Relation to Desire-Machines in Terrence Malick's Cinema: Case Studies of Badlands (1973) and To the Wonder (2012) through the Lens of Deleuze and Guattari

Abstract

This paper examines the pictorial and narrative structures of Terrence Malick’s Badlands and To the Wonder through the philosophical frameworks of rhizome, topology, and desire-machines developed by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. It argues that by breaking away from classical narrative structures and causal logic, Malick's cinema generates images not as representations of events or meanings but as productive configurations of desire and becoming. Within this framework, images function rhizomatically, forming non-hierarchical and multi-directional networks, while cinematic space is conceived as a topological surface shaped by intensities, folds, and transformations rather than fixed coordinates. The central problem addressed in this study concerns how the rhizomatic structure of the image, in relation to desire machines, can generate a visual continuum suitable for topological analysis. Three hypotheses are proposed: 1) Malick’s films move toward a desire-driven and rhizomatic form; 2) the image operates as a productive act connected to desubjectified and multi-axial perception rather than as a representational unit; and 3) cinematic space in these works assumes a topological quality, where form emerges through dynamic surfaces and affective densities. The research employs a qualitative, descriptive, and analytical methodology, drawing on theoretical literature and close formal analysis of five selected sequences from each film. The findings suggest that Malick constructs a world of wandering, fragmentation, and affective motion—one in which meaning is displaced, subjectivity is decentered, and perception is diversified across heterogeneous visual and auditory planes. The films generate a visual continuum driven by desire, operating as machinic assemblages that connect disparate geographies and sensory elements. Ultimately, this research offers a novel model for film analysis based on rhizomatic and topological thought, expanding the critical vocabulary available for understanding contemporary cinematic form beyond the limits of representation.