The Tree of Life

2011 • 138 minutes

About this movie

The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick's signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

Ratings and reviews

I'm just short of hating this movie. It is way, way, way too long for what it is trying to do. I might have appreciated like a 30 minute short of this style, pace, tempo, etc, but I just couldn't get through it without feeling bitter about wasting my time. If you saw 2001: A Space Odyssey, and loved the psychedelic space baby nonsense at the end, and feel that 2001's biggest fault was that it wasn't almost *entirely nonsense*, then consider watching Tree of Life. I don't think there was a single still video shot in the entire movie. Panning, sliding, zooming, steadycam running. Every. Single. Edit. Probably 50% of the movie is close-up shots of Jessica Chastain in perfect Magic-Hour lighting with birds chirping in the breeze. Oh, and whispering. So much whispering.

Surprised they allowed this to be made, doesn't seem financially viable. However it just seems to me that Hollywood always sees faith thru a very narrow prism. It's always the same simplistic issues such as where is God in tragedy. As for the rest of it, I understand seeking answers in tragedy but talk about over thinking it.

I’ve smiled more about the honest reviews but let me add 1 personal & 1 broader observations I had @ start n finish of these multiple mins(movie&reviews): I enjoyed photography & quiet of movies like this~ great for napping after being called into Hosp crisis’ after 2400~0630 off duty hours. Beautiful visuals, music, few acts of senseless violence! Is it only Me but this movie was a Portrayal of what we’ve observed since 2016…. A typical example of the 20% MAGA false memories trying to be recaptured by minority of mostly white entitled men trying to recreate superstitions of 1920~1940 when even poor whites were treated equal or better than Professional Black Men! I mean truly Who doesn’t like privilege? We saw so many trying to put WWll European freedom “toothpaste” BACK into the tubes after returning to America 🇺🇸 who did such little better than Italy’s Mussolini Russia’s Stalin or nazis across Dutchlands?!? Let all of (we more privileged) admit once & for ALL among USA 🇺🇸 appx 20 states….. Bigots among us who are not necessarily racists; but DO fit clinical definition of bigotry:(humans who willingly choose ignorance & bedtime stories as history)… are not just holding us back again from a more Perfect Union but a smoother 21st Century?!? WHY? Fear n anxiety; THEY may loose entitlements and be expected to grow up & forward…. God forbid !!!😳🥲. For this & many reasons; I rarely engage in social media. I’ve seen 6JAN2020 in too many undeveloped lands over 25YRS USM. We The People had 460yrs of mostly Freedom but even Psych cannot cure selfish or stupid among adults !