The Tree of Life Review

Jessica Chastain wandering in the distance in The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life

A+

A Review by Frederick Cholowski

Few directors have achieved as much buzz and popularity with as few films as Terence Malick. In only his fifth film in almost just as many decades Malick is reaching for the stars (quite literally at some points). The Tree of Life is the most deeply ambitious film I have seen sense Stanly Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001 a Space Odyssey. It’s a coming of age story mixed with the evolution of life on earth and loads of dreamlike metaphors. The film at one point even has dinosaurs! Surprisingly though all of the film works together in a package that is both a brilliant piece of film making and the best film I have seen so far this year.

The meat of the film focuses on a family in a small town in Texas. Raising three young boys are their parents, a mean yet affectionate father (Brad Pitt) and a mother who seems disconnected with the world around her (Jessica Chastain). For the most part the story focuses on the elder brother Jack (Hunter McCracken as a child and Sean Penn as an adult) who has the weight of expectations on his back. As he goes through childhood he gets angrier and angrier at his parents and the world around him until his breaking point is reached.

The rest of the film is way all over the place. Some of it follows a middle age Jack struggling to find his identity and his place in the world. Then there are the scenes witch depicts both the creation of the earth, prehistoric times and the afterlife. There are also scenes of dreamlike metaphors that while slightly odd add a point to the adult Jack sections of the film.

In a way The Tree of Life is defiantly plot less. Instead of concrete scenes it uses wisps of memories and emotions to convey its point. It relies less on concrete ideas and more so on bits of sight and sound. Dialogue in this film is scarce and mostly in voiceovers. Instead the film is dominated with images and music that helps convey the mood and emotion of each scene. The Tree of Life makes us truly rethink the way film is presented. It’s scattered yet tightly controlled and while in a way that is both grand a beautiful.

If there were any complaint I have with the film is that sometimes the Sean Penn scenes feel a bit unnecessary. Sean Penn has all of two lines of dialogue and kind of feels tacked on. It never really affects the film at all but sometimes it just feels kind of there. Also while some complain about the necessity of the creation scenes I think they add a lot to the film and truly put in prospective the problems and struggles of humans in contrast to the scope and grandeur of the universe.

As far as performances go everyone is great here. Brad Pitt is brilliant as the mean and sometimes abusive father. Pitt has a great energy that he brings to the role. Jessica Chastain who is a fairly fresh face is very good as a mother who feels a bit out of this world. The best actor in the film though is truly Hunter McCracken who is stunning as a confused and angry young child. His role is quiet and subtle yet daring and personal. For a child actor he has a wonderful maturity.

The real spectacles here are the visuals and sound. From beginning The Tree of Life is a gorgeous film with beautiful cinematography and fantastic visual design. Malick creates an almost dreamlike atmosphere for most of the film that really bring you in to the experience. As well Alexandre Desplat’s score is through the roof as it adds a whole new layer to the experience. Not since films like 2001 a Space Odyssey and Amadeus has music made such an impact on the film itself.

While it may take a couple more viewings to determine whether Malick has created a true modern masterpiece, The Tree of Life is undoubtedly one of the best films I have seen in a while. It’s refreshing to see something so ambitious and intelligent hit the cinema in an age where films like this are so rare. It truly challenges the way film is structured and the way us the audience view film. Challenging, emotional and beautiful The Tree of Life is by far the best film to come out in 2011 so far.