Tree of Life: A Review

"Unless you love, life will pass you by."

--Tree of Life

This may be the shortest movie review I ever write. Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, Badlands, The New World) basically looked at Kubrick, Godard, Bergman, Welles and the entire Southern Gothic genre and said, “I can do that. But I can take it a step further.”

Tree of Life is a little of everything to everyone and yet it will not reach everyone. As a very non-traditional film, it wouldn’t be something I would expect a very casual movie-goer to enjoy. I say this not to sound like an elitist, but because I watched two people walk out of the movie 20 minutes in ne’er to return. Despite its experimental content, it is very much a Malick film. His intense camera style, off center framing of shots, and sparse dialogue makes for a very contemplative almost meditative film.

It will mean many different things to many different people but it is definitely a very personal movie. Never in my life have I ever witnessed a movie keep an audience so quiet. There was almost no coughing, shuffling of feet, or whispering side conversations. At times you could hear the projector. If the rest of the audience was like me, they were transfixed. Or they could have been asleep.

I found it very emotional at times and felt that I could start weeping uncontrollably during certain parts of the film. Though the film boasts Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fight Club, Se7en) and Sean Penn (Milk, 21 Grams, I am Sam) the headliners of the film, Malick did his best at humbling their star power before the greater good of the film. Pitt and Penn did a great job (especially Pitt), but they were certainly overshadowed by the acting of two young boys in their first ever movie. Hunter McCracken plays the young version of Penn’s character Jack and Laramie Eppler plays his younger brother R.L. and they pulled off the sibling relationship to perfection. Their nuanced performances far exceeded their age.

It is really hard to say much else than that. If you are a fan of Malick’s previous films, or just want to see something that is the total opposite of a comic book movie, this is a must see film. This will be one of those films that will come to define a new generation of directors just like Kubrick, Godard, Bergman and Welles. Well done Malick, well done.

Making the Grade

Acting: Malick always manages to draw the best out of his actors even in limited screen time. The acting is simple, to the point, but still filled with a lot of emotion that doesn’t feel overdone. Not to mention he gets world class, academy award nomination acting out of a first time film actor. A+

Special Effects/Visuals: This film is beautiful from start to finish. Malick uses CGI, simple light effects and his trademark color, and texture to make a perfectly shot film. A+


Music/Sound: The music was simple, classical and choral composition, used in a sparse manner to highlight certain portions of a movie, but the absence of sound was just as powerful. There were a few bits of sound that could have lent to the feel of the film. But who am I to judge? A


Rewatchability: I am seeing this again next week. This is a film that will have a different meaning each time you watch and a different meaning for every person. I guarantee that you will see something new each time you watch this film. A+



Overall: A+