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Tree of Life - Film Review
Grade: C
“Ambitious” is the primary word that describes Terrence Mallick’s film The Tree of Life. But like the film itself, that facet of ambition can be misconstrued as a work of genius or the result of an artistically pompous director. Obscurity is pushed to the limit as Mallick crafts an exploration of life that will undoubtedly create a split audience. One can interpret it as a perplexing work that pushes the boundaries of filmmaking, and the other might find Mallick’s direction as a debauched attempt of artistry.
The sixth film from the personally eccentric Terrence Malick, Tree Of Life abandons any sense of the traditional narrative. Instead, the film is a vision of breathtaking visual poetry that intertwines breathtaking cinematography of creationism with a non-focused comparison to human life. The latter, a character study, is the aspect of the film that only vaguely resembles archetypal filmmaking. In this portion that dominants the director’s vision, the film depicts the life of a Texan Suburban family living in the 1950s. The film externally takes place in the point of view of the oldest of three sons, Jack O’Brien (Hunter McCracken). The character study transitions back and forth from Jack’s present life (the older Jack played by Sean Penn), and his upbringing as a harshly disciplined child. Brad Pitt, who remains unnamed, commendably plays Jack’s hard-charging discipliner who hides his vulnerability and broken dreams with his sternness. The point of the story presents one of the film’s core aspects, the contrast between two ways of human life, the way of nature (connection by struggle) and the way of grace (connection by love, the universe). Pitt character is obviously the embodiment of nature, while relative unknown actress Jessica Chastain, gives a touch of subtlety to oppose Pitt’s forces. This universal life struggle is depicted through the emotion distraught faced by Jack’s character, and the single point of view gives an insight on the result of these clashing forces.
