Last year at the film festival in Cannes, all the talk seemed to be about Terrence Malick's new film THE TREE OF LIFE. In part this was due to the critics taking note of the movie and reviews ranged from one end of the scale to the other. But no one wanted to miss it. Perhaps that's because Malick is something different in Hollywood.
Since 1973 Malick has only released 5 films as a director and almost all of them have been critically acclaimed if not a huge financial success. And yet he continues to direct films and find studios to back him. Where some films that claim to be "art films" never deserve the attention they receive, Malick's films are more often than not something to witness. They are a visual and storytelling treat. Those films have included BADLANDS, DAYS OF HEAVEN, THE THIN RED LINE, THE NEW WORLD and now THE TREE OF LIFE. I usually find myself appreciating films like these but rarely enjoy them enough to watch again. This film changes that.
The story begins with the death of a brother to Jack (Sean Penn). Its effect on him isn't quite visible. Surely he is shaken but it makes him think back to other things, other days and growing up in the 1950s.
Brad Pitt plays Mr. O'Brien, Jack's father. Pitt's character is a strict disciplinarian but not without reason. He wants his children to grow up and be successful. This becomes even more important later in the film when he is forced to take on a different job. He feels its better to be your own boss than to work at the whim of someone else. His battles with life, his struggles, are imposed upon his three sons, especially Jack.
Jack's mother is the opposite of his father, a free spirit who sees joy in the world around her, who offers her children a sense of freedom in simply playing. Mrs. O'Brien (Jessica Chastain) is a tender woman who loves her husband and her children with equal measure, but who wants her boys to experience life as opposed to just making a living and not experiencing things as simple as sunsets.
One would think that these two differing people would be hard pressed to find common ground. But the fact is that they are the yin and yang of these boys lives, the balance between reality and fantasy that should exist to make a person complete, to make them whole. And as the life Jack remembers fills the screen we see the three brothers in various forms through his eyes; his love of his brothers and at times his jealousy of them. We witness his admiration for his father but his fear of him as well. And we see his love for his mother that comes through at all times.
This is a coming of age story that shows a young boy grow up to be a man but without a major plot issue that makes it happen. It's not like someone dies or does drugs but a simple story of a boy. You recognize so much of what Jack goes through and experiences if you grew up during this time period or even the one after. Fireflies, bb guns and tying frogs to model rockets are just some of the crazy things kids do or did. And Jack and his brothers do it all.
But Malick wasn't content to leave it at that. We also have the story of Pitt's character, a man who struggles to do his best and yet considers himself a failure. In reality he hasn't failed he's just placed in a position where he can't achieve the goals he's set for himself. That day might come, but not as this story takes place. He is a man with wealth in the love of his wife and children who feels he is poor. And it is through his disappointment in himself that we see the bad side of family.
Malick is amazing in the images he turns up on film. What for most would be a humdrum neighborhood with little to see, Malick turns it into a feast for the eyes. You can almost feel the warm summer days when kids would play or do yard work here. And a sunset is rarely captured so brilliantly on film.
Added to this is a sequence that involves the creation of the world. It's an amazing thing to watch that would fit home in Epcot let alone in any film concerning the beginnings of life. The effects used and the footage that comes out is breathtakingly beautiful.
At just over 2 hours the movie may seem a tad long for some. While I watched though it passed the personal test I have for all movies: when it's really bad and if it moves to slow I just hang tight to the remote and move past the slow parts. Sorry but that's the truth. I never once felt the need to do so here.
THE TREE OF LIFE is a fantastic movie. It's one that I will keep on hand because I know I'll want to experience it again, finding new things to witness with each viewing. It's a movie that I think anyone with children will enjoy. And it's a treat for the eyes, the ears and the mind. In short, this is a great movie and deserving of all the credit and hype that surrounded its initial release. It deserves better than the short time it was on screens and needs to be discovered. With its release on DVD, now is the chance.
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