The Tree of Life | Review
‘The Tree of Life’ is writer-director Terrence Malick’s sixth feature film, and the latest in his 40-year span as a filmmaker. Malick (‘Badlands’, ‘The Thin Red Line’, ‘The New World’) chooses his films carefully, and he takes his time to craft the best films possible. ‘The Tree of Life’ is a great testament of Malick’s talent as a filmmaker, as it’s an extremely thoughtful, ambitious film like none I had ever seen before.
Taking place in 1950’s America, Texas to be precise, ‘The Tree of Life’ centers on the O’Brien family. The family of five includes the extremely strict and abrasive Mr. O’Brien (Brad Pitt), the gentle and kind Mrs. O’Brien (Jessica Chastain), and their three children, all boys.
Though he is intolerant and harsh, Mr. O’Brien definitely cares for his family, and he works hard to provide for them. On the sidelines Mr. O’Brien invents and patents various devices, hoping to earn success from them in order to provide more for his family. Mr. O’Brien’s sons love him, but they also show signs of intimidation when around him. The boys are careful of their actions and tend to stay quiet when around Mr. O’Brien, hoping not to displease their father.
Mrs. O’Brien is a housewife, and her personality is the complete opposite of her husband’s. She’s graceful and carefree, and her sons enjoy her presence, unlike their father’s. Whenever Mr. O’Brien ventures on his business trips, their Texan home dramatically changes in tone. The children run about in the yard and all through their home, and they slam doors loud as can be. They have fun.
‘The Tree of Life’ revolves primarily around the eldest of the three sons, Jack O’Brien (Hunter McCracken). The film explores the relationship Jack has with his parents, as well as with his middle brother. Why are these three specific family members the center of Jack’s story? It’s because the film is structured as thoughts and memories, those of a middle-aged Jack (Sean Penn). At the start of the film, the O’Brien family receive dramatic news – their son just died. At the age of 19, the O’Brien’s middle son dies, and thus the majority of ‘The Tree of Life’ is older Jack’s memories, lamenting his long lost brother, as well as his feelings on his parents.
Spanning on more than just the O’Brien family, ‘The Tree of Life’ also gives us lengthy glimpses of the universe itself. The creation and start of the universe by the Big Bang is shown, and with it the eventual formation of Earth. Cells form organisms, life begins. A symbolic encounter between two different dinosaurs occurs. These scenes not involving the O’Brien family are more metaphorical and questionable, as well as more mesmerizing and awe-inspiring, but the O’Briens provide the film’s emotional and touching portions.
‘The Tree of Life’ is an “art house” film. It’s not for everyone, definitely not for general audiences. It’s literal, but also a metaphorical and philosophical film that requires thought, and more importantly it requires patience. The film doesn’t feature a linear narrative or an overall plot arc. It’s purposefully fragmented and switches back and forth between different memories and ideas. It doesn’t have the standard beginning-middle-end-rising action-conflict-resolution-etc. most films have. Extra care went into the gorgeous cinematography of the film, credit to Emmanuel Lubezki. With scenes spanning from a small town in Texas all the way to the vast spaces of the universe, ‘The Tree of Life’ uses this scope to its advantage and presents fascinatingly beautiful scenes and sequences. The film’s score by Alexandre Desplat (‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 and 2′) is soft, atmospheric, and at times operatic. The camerawork is impressive, too, with one-shot sequences where the camera follows the characters’ movements gracefully and carefully.
The film’s combination of visual flare in its cinematography, and its outstanding camerawork and score, combined with its ambitious scope and remarkable directing by the masterful Terrence Malick, makes ‘The Tree of Life’ a masterpiece and the best film so far this year. ‘The Tree of Life’ isn’t a film one can simple go to and see, it’s one that must be experienced.
Four out of four Kents.
Extra Notes:
‘The Tree of Life’ is an independent film, meaning it doesn’t have a wide release, so most theatres won’t have it. Theatres that show independent films probably show the film. If you want to see it in New Orleans, it’s being shown at Canal Place Theatres (at least, the last time I checked it was). But like I said, it’s not a film for everyone. You’ll either really like it, or really dislike it.
