Brad Pitt
Sean Penn
Jessica Chastain

Terrence Malick

139 mins.
Drama, Fantasy
May 27, 2011

Rated PG-13 for some thematic material. (MPAA)

(After seeing “To the Wonder,” I watched “The Tree of Life” for a second time. This review is in response to that.)

“The Tree of Life” spans time and space and is about the life-and-death cycle of all things (even briefly including dinosaurs) and universal interconnectivity. The images are a stylistic blend of poetic camerawork and filmmaking techniques: Jessica Chastain floating and dancing in the air is a standout. None of the visual effects are computer-generated. The images reminded me, at times, of the photography in IMAX science films.

Terrence Malick, the writer-director, expands the minuscule to fill the screen and shrinks the gigantic to fit the screen: For example, he expands shots of sperm swimming toward an egg and of an embryo in the womb and shrinks shots of constellations in space. The message is clear: we all share a common story, origin, end, and rebirth.

The anchor of this film is how a family handles the death of the middle son at the age of 19. (In the scenes set during the 1950s, Brad Pitt, who gives his strongest performance to date in this film, and Chastain play the parents. Sean Penn plays their oldest son as an adult in the present). They search their memories and the heavens (including appeals to God that are used both in this context and in other contexts) to try to find that son again, to capture his essence, and to find a way to understand and accept his death.

This is a father-and-sons-and-brothers story for the most part. The father is hardest on the oldest son (tough love), while the mother looks on with quiet concern (except in one climactic scene). Their relationships mirror what was typical during that era. The father is the rock, the disciplinarian. The mother is the comfort, the compassionate one: That’s what she hopes to teach her sons. This is old-fashioned love. They represent the way of Grace (mother) and the way of Nature (father). These are the paths that their oldest son struggles to choose between. These parents play their roles, and the father expects their children to do the same. But he also expects his sons to embrace their dreams, something that he didn’t do: His dream was to become a classical musician instead of an engineer and designer of patents. He settles for playing the organ at church.

The specificity of that story is told largely through the use of image and spare but telling dialogue (mainly via voice-over). This style is mimicked in “To the Wonder,” one of Malick’s subsequent films (see my review of that film for further comparisons). While I found “To the Wonder” to be more limited in scope with its international perspective, this film is breathtakingly grand with a universal perspective. There’s a clarity of vision here. Malick’s style during his later years as a director is perfectly suited to this film, but it felt a bit cramped in “To the Wonder.” In “The Tree of Life,” his style allows the story to reach operatic highs yet still be personal when needed. The music (including opera and classical), the sounds (volcanic eruptions, for instance), the awe-inspiring visuals (seeking the light within the dark), the dialogue, and the confidence to linger on shots of nature both on earth and in the universe help to create a film that conjures thoughts of humanity and our place in the universe. What is our story? How does that relate to the story of Earth and of the universe?

Even the actors come across as real people here. But not in an indie sort of way. No, in the way that a good photographer would capture them. They aren’t just props for Malick in this film. You can see and hear the unique textures of each actor. There’s even a shot of what seems to be the hands of an older black woman grasping the hands of Chastain: Again, the textures of life are shown to us.

Some may find the lingering shots of the universe over-the-top, but they serve a larger purpose within the context of the film: Malick envelopes those shots with other shots of the natural phenomena of Earth, both big and small. There’s a focus on life under water, in particular.

Also, in my opinion, this film never drags. Yes, it lingers at times. But it also maintains a brisk, flowing pace at other times, especially when it’s focused on the playtime of the three sons. This film speaks to me as a son, as a brother, as a friend, as a man, and as a human. It echoes my thought process in a way: I like to think about our place in the universe and about how our stories must go on. The question is: How can we cope with the inevitable loves and losses that come along with those stories?

Your reaction to this film will depend on how you view the world. Most people won’t really care to go there with this film, but I certainly do. This is beautiful, magical, and moving. It’s Malick’s masterpiece.

Verdict: Great

About: (Source: foxsearchlight.com/thetreeoflife)

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s. 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 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.