"The Tree of Life" -- Reviewed

Ever since I saw the wonderful movie trailer for this film, I’ve been very intrigued. The film, which was only showing in one theater in all of Omaha, was extremely personal. I say this because it’s not easily pegged as to what the director is trying to convey throughout the entirety of the film. Multiple interpretations of the film can easily occur which is also why provocative conversations with friends happen after seeing the film. Before seeing the film, I heard this was in the same league as “2001: A Space Odyssey”. This is simply not true. The director, Terrence Malick, doesn’t seem to care much about how “The Tree of Life” can be interpreted. It’s not like the film didn’t work. Some things about the film worked remarkably well. The musical score compliments the film extremely well and might even be an Oscar contender, in my opinion. Beautiful shots pervade the film to give off an almost ethereal look to architecture, landscapes and cityscapes. Even the acting is excellent with this film being Brad Pitt’s best performance. The story progresses in unknown directions because it is the child that grows up in a confusing world and has to essentially make a choice. Inner demons plague Pitt’s father character and weakness plague Jessica Chastain’s mother character. Both the mother and father shape especially how their son, Jack, sees them and sees the world. It’s this that brings the child into disillusionment with the world and morality. How do you convey disillusionment and confusion with morality and the world? This is the biggest setback for the director. It’s ambitious yet you cannot tell what the character’s motivations are nor do you initially understand their goals. Most all of the film is symbolic and contribute to a theatrical poem. The film gets to viewers and makes them ask bigger, philosophical questions about life, interconnectedness, death, and the human condition. It is difficult to decipher what the director is exactly stating or perhaps he doesn’t want to exactly say anything but I find this hard to accept as a cinema geek. I guess I ‘need’ exact answers. Is this my fault or the filmmakers? One thing is for sure, the film does stay with you long after you’ve watched it. Overall Grade: B+