The Tree of Life

The Tree Of Life

Director/writer Terrence Malick has made only five films in 38 years. This will not surprise you when you see this complicated film. It is over 2 ½ hours. It goes on and on. It is confusing and goes from the past to the future without any warning. Everybody was discussing it on leaving the theatre. What was that all about?

Your first clue to the meaning is a quote from Job. Magnificent colors burst on the screen as we witness the origin of life. Spiritual choral music plays and you are treated to a wondrous experience. In short the story is supposed to take us from the creation of earth to its current day problems. The vehicle of the story is through a family living in a small town in the 50’s.

At the beginning of the film we are told that there are only two routes through life;” The way of nature or the way of grace.” We have to choose which one to follow.

Mrs. O’Brien is the sweet, beautiful loving wife and mother. (Jessica Chastain) She rarely speaks and when she does it is in a breathy voice.

The husband (Brad Pitt) had hoped to become a professional musician. We never learn why that did not happen. We only know that he is fairly successful but a complicated character. At times he can be loving to his three sons and the next minute he can turn into an angry mean person. He demands quiet at the table and the children must call him Sir. He teaches his older son to fight. He yells at them and verbally abuses them.

The older son is also complicated. He loves it when his father holds him and kisses him. At other times he whispers and internalizes his hatred to the point of once wishing he would die. He breaks windows and does many mischievous acts. One can only guess he was acting out of frustration and hatred for his father. Much of what he says is mumbled and difficult to understand.

We learn that one of the sons dies as a teenager. We never know what actually happened but we do witness the pain felt by the family.

The cinematography is breathtaking. The camera lingers on a blowing curtain or a flowing river. There are countless scenes of children playing and running around in a large field. I can’t understand why some of these scenes were not cut. Many of the scenes are dreamlike and it is confusing as to what reality is and what wishful thinking is.

Love and cruelty are never far apart. Much of the film is spiritual with the breathtaking scenes and the magnificent music.

As I watched the film I had trouble understanding the central message. The Big Boom and the dinosaurs didn’t fit in with this complicated family. There seems to be a lot of symbolism and frankly I need it explained. The mother seems to wash her feet a lot outdoors with the garden hose. The flowing rivers and birds flying overhead are all very spiritual.

To add to the confusion Sean Penn plays the part of the older son as an adult. He has become an architect.

The film flits back and forth from the birth of the children to the elder son all grown up. You really need a map to keep the directions straight.

It was stated, “No one knows when sorrow will hit.” This is true for the O’Brien family and can also be applied to general nature.

Good luck in figuring it all out.

There is a reason the film won the Palm D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It is beautiful to watch. All the actors are superb in their roles. It takes a long time to present the image and you are bound to be somewhat frustrated.