Review of The Tree of Life (2011) by Josh K — 08 Oct 2012

The Tree of Life is a piece of film poetry and probably one of the best films of 2011. Terrence Malick's thoughtful, poetic and passionate piece of work is primarily a character study and more along the lines of poetry and in a different type of filming style than other films. Quiet narrations, scenes with very little talking and beautiful cinematography, as well as a terrific and subtle score from Alexandre Desplat. The film is mainly a piece of art.

Describing the plot is difficult, because it focuses on many themes: family issues, relationships between father and son, relationships between mother and son, nature and the creation of life. The performances by Brad Pitt and Sean Penn are sublime, as well as Jessica Chastain who steals many scenes that she is in. The best part of the film is Malick's focus on the creation of life, the universe and the death of the dinosaurs. Malick got Douglas Trumbull, who worked on the special effects for 2001: A Special Odyssey, to create the special effects for this film in a very old fashioned feel with absolutely no computer generation. What you get is a terrific sequence. At the end of the film you feel that you have watched a master at work and have also gotten a terrific film with a great message. Well done Malick!