The Tree of Life

Starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn, Fiona Shaw, Laramie Eppler
Directed by: Terrence Malick
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2011

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A father (Brad Pitt) raises his sons in the 1950s.

Review:

Tim: The Tree of Life is an extremely polarizing film. Some people believe Terrence Malick is a real genius, others think this film is a complete waste of time. I tend to think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I've never been a huge Malick fan, as his experimental film style feels a bit too crazy and out there for my taste. This movie has some fascinating qualities to it, but it definitely takes a great deal of effort to get through it all. I don't mind working to get into a film, but I have my limits.

The first 45 minutes or so of the movie are definitely challenging. The film doesn't really feature a linear story or plot, as much as you just see flashes of images and short little scenes. Despite the seeming random quality of them, Malick does a good enough job of setting the stage and the tone for the rest of the movie. We understand Brad Pitt is raising three boys, one of them dies, and one grows up to be Sean Penn. This wasn't exactly obvious, but it gets conveyed eventually. Malick takes quite a lot of time to show some stunning images of planets, galaxies, and other interstellar objects that doesn't make a whole lot of sense in the context of the film, but are pretty to watch. We also get a little creation of life montage, complete with a few scenes of dinosaurs. This is all beautiful and impressive, although it's not exactly fun to sit through.

If you do make it through this extensive, inaccessible intro, the movie does eventually settle down into more relatable, understandable plot. This is still unconventional and will be frustrating to some, but it feels more like a movie. The story revolves around Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and their three boys. These scenes are interesting because we feel like we're right in the middle of this family with their problems and their triumphs. We see the loss of innocence in the eldest son, and we see the failings of their father.

Brad Pitt is good as the head of the house, although the role isn't the most lovable. He's definitely a challenging, hard man. Pitt plays this very well and reminds us that's he actually a good actor. Jessica Chastain gives a good performance as the mother. It's impressive because she convinces us of her ability in short little bursts. I enjoyed her in this film. Sean Penn felt mostly wasted in the movie, and I've read that he tends to agree with that assessment of his presence. The kids all do good work in the film.

While the story of this family is interesting and powerful, Malick throws so much else into this film that it all just feels a bit much. I appreciate Malick being unconventional and charting his own route. I wouldn't want him to be like everyone else. However, it felt like he worked so hard to make this movie inaccessible that it drove people away. This movie is real work to get through, and while there is a payoff, it makes you question if it was worth it all at the end. I think there was a way to make this movie different and unique (and hell, still include the dinosaurs), but make it more accessible to a wide audience.

This film was nominated for 3 Academy Awards. First was Best Cinematography, which is absolutely worthwhile. This movie is gorgeous to watch. I would have been happy if it won, but it did not. The second Academy Award is Best Director for Terrence Malick. I don't have a huge problem with this, because this is definitely a work from a visionary, brave director. I wouldn't say this movie is a great one, though. I would have been just as happy with Malick missing out on this nomination. The final Oscar nomination was for Best Picture, which I strongly disagree with. I simply don't think this was one of the best films of the year. I think people gave it a nomination because it was so incomprehensible that they figured it had to be genius. The Tree of Life is a decent movie and a fascinating attempt at something different. I would not consider this one of the best movies of 2011.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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