The Tree of Life (2011)

When I saw Tree of Life at my local theater (although, its presence there was quite astounding, as we never get anything artistically sound), the only others in attendance besides myself were two couples, one younger and the other older. By the time the film reached the end, I was alone. This is not a reflection on the film's quality, but on the tolerance of modern moviegoers. Abstraction of any kind is shunned and to stray from the expected system is unthinkable. Therefore, Tree of Life will never be popular; it will only have a small audience of genuine fans. It is simply too different. It completely abandons any pretense of tradition and just becomes itself, with no effort to be what it isn't. Some will see it for the genius it is, others will hate it for being so puzzling, and others will try very hard to "get it" and will be unable. It is the most daring film to be given a proper theatrical release in years and I am glad it is getting some notice, even if it is spawning so many detractors.

Terrence Malick is an extraordinary director. This is only his fifth film since he made his first in 1973. This small number is partly due to his reclusive nature, but mostly because he is so precise. It is very rare that a filmmaker has the patience and desire to make every movie a masterpiece, but Malick has done it. Offhand, the only other director I can think of who has been as perfectionisticly accomplished is Stanley Kubrick, and that's one of the biggest compliments I can give. Even though they are still great movies, I felt that Malick's last two, The Thin Red Line and The New World, had a slight negative effect in their pursuit of epic size. I much preferred Malick's first films, Badlands and Days of Heaven for all their beautifully quiet simplicity. The Tree of Life has a foot in each world; it is a quiet, simple movie with an epic purpose. It attempts to show life in every way as it really is, and not as a movie version of it.

There is no standard "beginning, middle and end" story here. The majority of the film displays the childhood memories of Jack, which, like our actual memories, do not have a strict chronology. They come and go in no particular order and have no interest in meeting the rules of a movie, instead playing out as far as they can be held onto and are then discarded in favor of the next in line. Some of these memories are more distinct, particularly the ones involving the cruelty of Jack's father; these play out in full and are more precise than others. Some of them are only half-forgotten, such as a scene in which we see the Father and Mother mourning the loss of one of their three sons, an event which is never mentioned again. And others, like the moment where Jack is being scolded for an unknown crime or when Jack and his brother are crying in a field, seem somewhat irrelevant; possibly snatched up in the context of a different idea and then lost again, but seeming to make perfect sense in the outline of the movie as a whole. This is all absolutely fascinating to watch unfold, especially because it is so realistic and so very much like a real childhood. The most important episodes in Tree of Life are the ones that involve the Father, who is strict to the point of cruelty. We watch in shock as Jack undergoes punishment for the most minuscule of offenses, which eventually lead him to desperately pray for his father's death. Whether or not these scenes are an actual account of what Jack's Father was like or if they have been overblown over the years, by the film's conclusion Jack loves his Father. Doesn't every child think parents are evil until they grow to realize otherwise?

At the beginning of the movie we are introduced to the idea that one can live life one of two ways: the way of nature or the way of grace. The movie is similarly divided. Jack's memories are on the side of nature because he is only human and therefore relatively selfish and naturally evil. There are also scenes in the film that represent grace. I am specifically referring to a lengthy segment that has been getting a lot of negative reactions. It is a series of images completely separate from the movie: sweeping shots of cities and forests and oceans, views of planets revolving and stars beaming and suns flaring, a heart beating, fish swimming, dinosaurs roaming the Earth, and finally back to the 50s and Jack's family. I was given the feeling that this is the closest a mere human could get to simulating what God sees. This is especially powerful when we hear various prayerful whispers throughout the images, reminding us how amazing it is that He is part of everything, in all places and all times, and even when He has so many better things to be concerned with, He still hears us when we call to Him. This is the impression I received while watching a scene I later discovered was meant to envision what the "big bang" was like. This further proves the personal output abstract art can provide and how different everyone's feelings are when they see it. That's what makes it so incredible.

It is not likely that Tree of Life will be widely remembered in the way it should. It is a work of extreme brilliance; a very moving and beautiful film, unlike any I have seen from my own lifetime. I do wonder if Terrence Malick wasn't a little indulgent in the way he made it, because most audiences will be completely alienated and ignorant of the messages he is trying to convey. This is not necessarily his fault and I am not suggesting that he have done anything at all differently. I am just certain that this stuff will not appeal to the masses, although I would always be glad to be proven wrong. Anyway, you are either going to be riveted by the experience as I was, or you will loathe every second. If you decide to view Tree of Life, it is essential that you keep an open mind and expect the unimaginable.

10/10