Malick has only made 4 films in the past 40 years. Each piece has in turn been critically acclaimed. The Tree of Life received the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the festival’s most prestigious award.
The Tree of Life Movie Synopsis: The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Terrence Malick’s signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.
It was a bit of a mixed bag for us, but overall Gordon and I are glad we caught the bus to Finchley Road on Saturday morning to do something special together. Good thing it was not a late-night movie, as it ran for 138 minutes. Also good thing that we had a vague idea of what to expect. ( Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Science Fiction). We did see a few people leaving the theatre after the first 20 minutes!
"The Tree of Life" is virtually obscenity-free kaleidoscope of raw emotions, lyrical passages and cosmic grandeur, but it’s also an unconventional movie without a typical plot, exquisite, sublime, profound, majestic, emotionally powerful work of art. And.... no crude sexual content and some light (almost scary) violence.
The film begins by introducing us to the O’Briens (Brad Pitt, and big-screen newbie Jessica Chastain), a married couple who’s just received news of their teenage son’s death. As expected, the grief is palpable, and the lack of dialogue only seems to underscore the anguish. Knowing that particular life-experience for ourselves, with the loss of our young son, we were totally gripped by the realistic portrayal of that grief which cannot be spoken.
The perspective then abruptly shifted to the dramatic birth of the universe, with strong references to the theory of evolution. Magnificent visions of creation filled us with worship of our Creator. Got to be say it as it is: the references to the theory of evolution, portraying life spreading from the ocean to the land, then jumping to the so-called dinosaur age, left us unconvinced.
A reading of Job 38:4,7 (“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation . . . while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”) and molecular reproduction, asteroids, a cosmic light show Stunning visuals! Which ought to take us to the place where Job was before God: hand over mouth, in awe!
The portrayals of the O’Brien family provide the most moving representation of childhood. It’s a slow impressionistic story, introspective and artsy. A young Jack is shown growing up. Images of him learning to walk and greeting the arrival of his first brother, Unconventional story telling and emotionally powerful unfolding of the complex story of a father, mother, children, love, death, hate, forgiveness, reconciliation.
We both liked and were reminded of our own childhoods by the vignettes of Jack's Texas childhood—playing with sparklers, running through sprinklers, drinking from a hose, swimming in the local pool, planting a tree with Dad— etc.
The only real negative for us was the closing scene which represents the after-life and reconciliation. It left us both luke-warm to cold and minus the feel-good factor, because we found it just too ethereal, far-fetched with no resemblance to the Bible’s heaven. Much too a poetic and floaty representation of what we believe is a real place.
The acting is excellent, especially by Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Hunter McCracken as the father, mother and Young Jack.
Brad Pitt as Mr. O'Brien
Jessica Chastain as Mrs. O'Brien
Rating: PG-13 (for some thematic material)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Run Time: 138 min.
Director: Terrence Malick
Actors: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler, Tye Sheridan, Fiona Shaw, Cole Cockburn, Will Wallace
Overall, we have no regrets whatsoever for seeing "The Tree of Life".
