My Rating:
IMDb Users:
(2011)
Genre: Drama
Director: Terrence Malick
Writer: Terrence Malick
Producers: Nigel Ashcroft, Ivan Bess, Greg Eliason, Dede Gardner, Nicolas Gonda, Sarah Green, Grant Hill, Susan Kirr, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad, Donald Rosenfeld, Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz, Sandhya Shardanand
Nominee
Synopsis: The impressionistic story of a Texas 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. (Written by alfiehitchie)
Cast:
- Brad Pitt
- Jessica Chastain
- Sean Penn
- Hunter McCracken
- Laramie Eppler
- Tye Sheridan
jhunterfilmreview: Ok wow. Let me just start out by saying this was a very enjoyable review for me to write. Mainly because researching this film is crucial in understanding its several different meanings, and the in-depth views and interpretations of other viewers. The Tree of Life is the latest motion picture to come from Oscar nominated director, Terrence Malick, known for his other films The Thin Red Line and The New World. This 2011 drama centres around a family with three boys in 1950s Texas. However, the focus is on the relationship between the eldest son Jack, played by Hunter McCracken (in his first role on the big screen) as a young boy, and later Sean Penn (Milk, Mystic River, I Am Sam) as an adult, and his father, Mr O'Brien, Brad Pitt (Fight Club, Se7en, Inglourious Basterds). As expected, Sean Penn and Brad Pitt play their roles superbly, and Hunter McCracken is outstanding as well. Having said that, for me, Jessica Chastain (The Help, Jolene, The Debt) as the mother, was amazing. She is stunning and played her fragile character so well. She was a real joy for me to watch on screen. Although the majority of the film follows the story of this family, an enormous part of it is a series of absolutely incredible and fascinating shots of everything that's beautiful about life…seriously, everything you could think of - these are not narratively connected, but thematically complementary. For this reason the film has been so heavily compared to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The quoted excerpt below elaborates on this aspect of the film further, so be sure to keep reading. The film also features an extraordinary score, by none other than Alexandre Desplat, known for his work on The King's Speech, A Prophet and Julie & Julia (all which I have previously rated, so check them out). In addition, probably the most sensational aspect of The Tree of Life is the cinematography. The talented DOP responsible for it, is Emmanuel Lubezki, known for his work in films such as Children of Men, Sleepy Hollow and Burn After Reading. He captured just the most insanely beautiful shots of all aspects of life, and it is a jaw-dropping experience for some to watch. Although my review is obviously a positive one, this movie has completely torn its audience in half - half simply love it and appreciate it immensely, and the other half find it exceedingly pretentious and boring. I'll include a few one-liner reviews below to show you what i mean. Also, if you plan on seeing it, be sure to keep in mind that the film is almost two and a half hours in length…so be prepared! I could go on about my love and appreciation for this film forever, but i'll stop here…
I give this film 8 stars.
"The Tone of the film is mesmeric, transcendent, awe-inspiring." -- Paul Byrnes, Sydney Morning Herald.
"Apart from a middle section which reveals moments of clarity and actual emotion, this is a bloated, self-indulgent bore of fine imagery." -- Ben McEachen, Empire Magazine Australasia
"Some people have called the film pretentious, as if having a grand aim in making a film is somehow embarrassing. I was incredibly moved." -- Margaret Pomeranz, At the Movies.
"How do you watch such a film? You've got to lower any defenses you have. You've got to not allow yourself to try to make a sense out of everything you see. You've got to take it all, and let it enter you, just as smoothly as the film enters dinosaurs, cells, planetary evolution, or a simple living room of a troubled family. Make no judgements, consider nothing except the pure experience of being there, wherever the film takes you. Search no explanation, for there was no real rational reason other than intuition for images to be as they are.
Imagine a film about everything, with a remote storyline that talks about every theme, in every possible time of the world.
Imagine a film without a beginning or an ending. Circular meta-narratives, where you can pick up on any spot (i mean any) and you can create whatever inner narrative you want. A sky of images (like the mosaic poster of the film) where you can pick your own choices, and create whatever story you like. Or you can choose to frame the more palpable story visible in the film in whatever fashion you want. Up to you. The challenge is that you have to test the limits of your own imagination to live the film in its full extent. Nothing is predefined. Go wherever you want." -- ruiresende84
