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Knight of Cups is a 2015 American romantic drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick. Starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Natalie Portman, the film follows Rick (Bale), a hedonistic screenwriter who goes on an odyssey through Los Angeles and Las Vegas as he undertakes a series of adventures with several people, including his ex-wife Nancy (Blanchett) and his married lover Elizabeth (Portman). The film is loosely inspired by, and at times quotes directly from, the 1678 Christian allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, the Acts of Thomas passage "Hymn of the Pearl", and Suhrawardi's A Tale of the Western Exile. Each of the characters is identified by a tarot card from the Major Arcana, with Bale representing the Knight of Cups. Knight of Cups premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on February 8, 2015, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear. The film was theatrically released in the United States on March 4, 2016, to mixed reviews from critics, with several finding the narrative structure incoherent, while others praised the visual style.