The Tree Of Life (2011) ****

I liked The Tree Of Life (2011) a lot. If you like Terrence Malick films (story and traditional narrative are not typically the focus), you may or may not like this one, but you should have at least an inkling of what you're getting into if you go see this. I've now had the priviledge of seeing 3 of Malick's films in the theater, when they were released. That's not bad, considering the only other 2 films that he has directed were both released before I was born.

I also like The Fountain (2006) a lot, another film which I feel Tree is similar to, and which has also been described as "pretentious." It's hard to avoid 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) comparisons, but this is definitely a different type of film. I actually think this summary, from a user on IMDb, hits it home pretty well:

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How can you sum up trees? and life? If a summary was possible then the film it'd deal with would be artificial.

23 May 2011 | by WilliamCrocodile (France) – See all my reviews

 

Many things have and will be said about this movie. Regardless of the easy critics: it's boring, there's no action, it's self-indulging, etc.., I would only add this. There will always be 2 kinds of people (whether they are film-goers, tourists, readers..): the ones who like to "recognize" things (the same stories being told, who is the hero, who is the villain? the same places to go to, the same food...) and the ones who like to discover new things. As to the film, why don't you try it? How many films have you seen that take your hand and take you to a place you've never been before? On the contrary how often do you understand everything from the very first minutes of a movie? who is going to marry who, who is the bad guy, who's going to betray, will there be a happy end? Aren't you ever fed up with this? Try and see The Tree Of Life. It's about growing up in a family. It's about seeing the world through children's eyes. It's a very American story, and what it's like to be torn between religion, ideals and the lust for success and power and money. It's about betrayal by the people you trust. It's about love.

You may not like it but at least you'll have tried. Be curious!
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Yes, some parts felt slow, but some were beautiful, uplifting, curious, confusing, fantastical, ominous, anger-inducing, funny, awe-inspiring. Just like life, yes?