Week in Film: 7/11/16-7/17/16
Film of the Week: The Tree of Life
Year: 2011
Director: Terrence Malick
I first saw Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life when I was thirteen years old, and it blew my undeveloped, naive cinematic mind. A younger me walked into the theatre, having come to the halfway point of the 2011 best picture showcase (which that year featured the likes of The Descendants, Moneyball, and The Help) expecting a family drama along the lines of what I'd already seen that day, and for the rest of my life previous. Imagine my surprise when I come across the birth of the universe, the creation of the Earth, and dinosaurs. I remember walking out of the theatre in a daze, unsure about how to process what I had just seen. It was a watershed moment for me in my relationship to film, and one of the most important steps I took towards truly falling in love with the art form.
It's hard to describe the plot. It ranges from the beginning of time to the afterlife, and covers a little in between. More specifically, it is about a family in Texas in the 50s, and about a young boys coming of age, and his reflections on that time as an adult. His mother is the personification of beauty and love in the world, his father is strict and harsh. They are the embodiments of, as the mother says, the two ways in life: nature and grace. Nature only thinks of itself, it is destructive, and unmoving. Grace is love and kindness, and the wellbeing of others. It's not hard to see this as the conflict between God and the natural world. It's a very religious film, viewed through a certain lens. I never thought a film rooted so deeply in faith would be so important to me, someone who is essentially atheistic and generally scornful of religion. But I can't help but be moved by Malick's vision of the world, and the truths he tells.
The real beauty of the film lies in it's characters as much as its ideas. Not just the characters though, but what they do. Who they are. Why they do the things that they do. As a coming of age tale, there is no other film that nails childhood so perfectly, not Malle, not Truffaut, not even Linklater. I see myself in Jack (the young protagonist), and I understand him. I understand when he hurts his brother, I understand his apology, I understand his anger, his resentment, and I understand his joy. I've also never seen a more moving portrait of a family, and one that feels so real. Brad Pitt could be my father, despite the incongruencies and vast differences, I can see it. Same with Jessica Chastain as the mother.
I'm not going to say that The Tree of Life changed my life or anything, but I will say that it opened a lot of doors for me. Suddenly, I realized that the world of film was much bigger, full of much more possibility than I had previously thought. I simply didn't know you could make something like this. It wasn't like a lightbulb going off in my head, but it may very well have been the sparking of a flame that had been embers before, and one that would eventually burn into a wildfire as my fascination with cinema would develop and mature. It was one of the key points in my coming of age to cinema, and having that place in my heart helps to secure it as one of my favorite films of all time. But apart from my own personal feelings, I also believe, more than just a personal favorite, it is one of the greatest movies ever made. I think in time we will see it climbing up those sight and sound polls.
It's hard to describe the plot. It ranges from the beginning of time to the afterlife, and covers a little in between. More specifically, it is about a family in Texas in the 50s, and about a young boys coming of age, and his reflections on that time as an adult. His mother is the personification of beauty and love in the world, his father is strict and harsh. They are the embodiments of, as the mother says, the two ways in life: nature and grace. Nature only thinks of itself, it is destructive, and unmoving. Grace is love and kindness, and the wellbeing of others. It's not hard to see this as the conflict between God and the natural world. It's a very religious film, viewed through a certain lens. I never thought a film rooted so deeply in faith would be so important to me, someone who is essentially atheistic and generally scornful of religion. But I can't help but be moved by Malick's vision of the world, and the truths he tells.
The real beauty of the film lies in it's characters as much as its ideas. Not just the characters though, but what they do. Who they are. Why they do the things that they do. As a coming of age tale, there is no other film that nails childhood so perfectly, not Malle, not Truffaut, not even Linklater. I see myself in Jack (the young protagonist), and I understand him. I understand when he hurts his brother, I understand his apology, I understand his anger, his resentment, and I understand his joy. I've also never seen a more moving portrait of a family, and one that feels so real. Brad Pitt could be my father, despite the incongruencies and vast differences, I can see it. Same with Jessica Chastain as the mother.
I'm not going to say that The Tree of Life changed my life or anything, but I will say that it opened a lot of doors for me. Suddenly, I realized that the world of film was much bigger, full of much more possibility than I had previously thought. I simply didn't know you could make something like this. It wasn't like a lightbulb going off in my head, but it may very well have been the sparking of a flame that had been embers before, and one that would eventually burn into a wildfire as my fascination with cinema would develop and mature. It was one of the key points in my coming of age to cinema, and having that place in my heart helps to secure it as one of my favorite films of all time. But apart from my own personal feelings, I also believe, more than just a personal favorite, it is one of the greatest movies ever made. I think in time we will see it climbing up those sight and sound polls.
Rating: A
Okay, don't laugh at me, but this review brought tears to my eyes. I think it's because it is such a intimate portrait of you as a viewer and you as a young adult and you at age 13. All those things, along with you ability to articulate these thoughts in such a smart way, make me so excited for you because you're up to your eyeballs in talent. Lucky you! And lucky me.
ReplyDeleteAs for Tree of Life, I agree with your analysis but I could never put it in to words the way you do. Wow.
you told me this wasn't very good, but I can't agree. I agree with Mom. Maybe your criticism is because you feel it's impossible to ever articulate fully how you feel about this film. I think that's a sign of great art, something that creates a feeling so profound you can never fully explain how it felt even with as much talent as you have.
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