July 10, 2011
Read as many reviews as you like about this film, listen to a hundred assessments and opinions, but I would still challenge any viewer to leave the cinema after witnessing this epic, mystifying, visually stunning cinematic wonder and really be able to pinpoint what it was actually about. The closest I can come to articulating what I think is to say that the writer and director of Tree of Life, Terrence Mallick, simply decided he would make a film about, well, everything. Life, death, faith, love, hate, innocence, guilt, pain, loss, truth, wonder, anger - the entire gamut of human emotion and experience.
But that’s just at the microscopic level, when the film focuses on the formative years of Jack, growing from infant to troubled teenager in a Texan family, with his two younger brothers, their ethereal, almost angelic mother and a domineering father, with whom Jack endures a troubled relationship. At the other end of the spectrum, we are left slack jawed and wide eyed as the unfathomable themes of the universe, the beginning of time, creation, evolution and the awesome power of nature are presented to us through shot after staggeringly beautiful shot of asteroid clouds, solar flares, exploding meteorites, volcanic eruptions, tidal forces and all that lies between a blade of grass springing from the earth to the endless expanse of space.
In retrospect, it should not have been as much of a surprise as it was, having had these vast themes introduced and to some extent explored, that a dinosaur, several in fact, should appear - not in the same scenes as the Texan family, I hasten to add. This is about as far from Jurassic Park as it’s possible to get!
The contrast of scale of the film is one of its fascinations, for there is as much beauty in the visually stunning grandeur of images and scenes which seem to tip a nod to every award winning National Geographic photo ever taken, accompanied by a powerful, swelling, rapturous classical score, as there is to be found in the silent, often painfully moving studies of the details of human interactions with each other and the world around them. The play of light and shadow, capturing the movement and reflection of water, the intimacy of a hand touching another, a child sensing the force of air through his fingers, and the warmth of the sun on his skin are intensely observed and exquisitely captured.
If you seek a narrative of any discernable consequence, a plot of any description, if you like your characters to be easily defined, if you need a story to follow and an obvious conclusion, then you could be left somewhat nonplussed. However, two hours watching Tree of Life is time well spent if you are willing to have your eyes opened to something of great beauty, intrigue, wonder and fascination - something that will leave you asking a host of questions not only about what you have just seen, but about the myriad of themes it raises. Now that I know not to expect any epiphanies or revelations, that there will be no clear beginning, middle or end in narrative terms, I feel Tree of Life merits a second viewing (albeit with a several month interlude in which to recover and regroup!), to take in the details of the scenes and observe it more as a work of art than a story to be told.
As closing comment, I would add that Tree of Life is worth a look, if only to witness some truly brilliant performances, notably from Brad Pitt, who proves with every gesture and look and the articulation of a punishingly sparse script that he is so much more than just a pretty face. The young actor playing Jack entirely captures the awkwardness and anger of youth, the loss of innocence and the confusions and frustrations of his relationships with all those around him - and with God. Tree of Life is a powerfully acted, beautifully filmed, intriguing, beguiling spectacle about life, the Universe and everything - but don't expect to emerge with any kind of answers.
But that’s just at the microscopic level, when the film focuses on the formative years of Jack, growing from infant to troubled teenager in a Texan family, with his two younger brothers, their ethereal, almost angelic mother and a domineering father, with whom Jack endures a troubled relationship. At the other end of the spectrum, we are left slack jawed and wide eyed as the unfathomable themes of the universe, the beginning of time, creation, evolution and the awesome power of nature are presented to us through shot after staggeringly beautiful shot of asteroid clouds, solar flares, exploding meteorites, volcanic eruptions, tidal forces and all that lies between a blade of grass springing from the earth to the endless expanse of space.
In retrospect, it should not have been as much of a surprise as it was, having had these vast themes introduced and to some extent explored, that a dinosaur, several in fact, should appear - not in the same scenes as the Texan family, I hasten to add. This is about as far from Jurassic Park as it’s possible to get!
The contrast of scale of the film is one of its fascinations, for there is as much beauty in the visually stunning grandeur of images and scenes which seem to tip a nod to every award winning National Geographic photo ever taken, accompanied by a powerful, swelling, rapturous classical score, as there is to be found in the silent, often painfully moving studies of the details of human interactions with each other and the world around them. The play of light and shadow, capturing the movement and reflection of water, the intimacy of a hand touching another, a child sensing the force of air through his fingers, and the warmth of the sun on his skin are intensely observed and exquisitely captured.
If you seek a narrative of any discernable consequence, a plot of any description, if you like your characters to be easily defined, if you need a story to follow and an obvious conclusion, then you could be left somewhat nonplussed. However, two hours watching Tree of Life is time well spent if you are willing to have your eyes opened to something of great beauty, intrigue, wonder and fascination - something that will leave you asking a host of questions not only about what you have just seen, but about the myriad of themes it raises. Now that I know not to expect any epiphanies or revelations, that there will be no clear beginning, middle or end in narrative terms, I feel Tree of Life merits a second viewing (albeit with a several month interlude in which to recover and regroup!), to take in the details of the scenes and observe it more as a work of art than a story to be told.
As closing comment, I would add that Tree of Life is worth a look, if only to witness some truly brilliant performances, notably from Brad Pitt, who proves with every gesture and look and the articulation of a punishingly sparse script that he is so much more than just a pretty face. The young actor playing Jack entirely captures the awkwardness and anger of youth, the loss of innocence and the confusions and frustrations of his relationships with all those around him - and with God. Tree of Life is a powerfully acted, beautifully filmed, intriguing, beguiling spectacle about life, the Universe and everything - but don't expect to emerge with any kind of answers.
