Tree of Life Review

Here's a review I wrote tonight for the new Terrence Malick film, The Tree of Life (one of the only films I gave 10/10). It may or may not be posted on IMDB, but I thought y'all might want to get a peek here. PS you should probably check it out. I'll watch it with you if you'd like. Cheers.


The Tree of Life: Being and time; cyclical and vertical.

Haters gonna hate. A certain fact rendered manifestly true by a
majority bombastic and simple-minded 1-star reviews previously posted.
It is certain that this film is not for everyone. I would not recommend
it for people who arrive at the end a film and immediately demand what
the 'point' is; i would not recommend it for individuals who are not
comfortable with ambiguity; nor people who are impatient; nor those who
have a strict affinity for linearity in films.

People have an insatiable tendency to confuse ambiguity with
pretension. An easy mistake. But certainly not one that justifies the
vehement disregard this film has received from more narrow-minded
viewers. The Tree of Life is difficult to call a 'film' in the
conventional sense. It is one part exploration, one part essay, one
part artistic vision, one part stab at that 'je ne sais quoi' element
of human creative existence. There is no 'argument'; certainly no
'point' that one walks away with. It is simply a jab, a try--an
exploration at existence, transcendence and genesis executed with a
sharp and powerful artistic vision. There are references to the bible,
which naturally is a big turn off for me in general; but I find it more
a gesture at exploring the human relationship with life and death,
which is the perspectival linchpin of the film itself.

The film has no point except for provocation. Ideas? likely; a thesis?
almost certainly not. The fragmentary nature of the film makes it
difficult, but it mimics the function of our own memories, which is
similar to the structures of dreams: outlined by strong yet undefined
tidbits, strongest in their emotional and conceptual ramifications. The
film is long and it can be difficult to follow but only if one wants to understand every scene independent of the context of the whole film. The music is splendid; the production and the cinematography is one of the best I've ever seen; there are a few elements that did not strongly resonate with me, that is certain. Most importantly, however, is the film's ability to captivate and shape its audience and leave you not with something to 'think about', but moreover with something unique and spurious, planted within you that may always remain undefined (hail the haters).

For those of us who approach a film not with a Berlin wall of prejudices and expectations but a tabula rasa waiting to be colored and effected into ourselves: you will enjoy the beauty and questions brought about from this unique and visceral film....

***I would recommend a higher resolution TV and a at least mad decent sound system turned up to 'Thunder' level.*