Rating of
3.5/4
Malick's Masterpiece
mitchellyoung - wrote on 11/17/11
I think this film's divisive nature comes from the fact that none of its content is spoonfed to the audience. This is the Malick film to end all Malick films and there are plenty of characteristics of the auteur's past films on full display: dreamy voiceovers, use of choral music, beautifully photographed panoramas. There's so much to be written about the film, but it really bears a second or third viewing to fully capture all the nuances and themes available.
One - the film is extremely beautiful. It's shot on 35mm instead of digital and even the most simple and intimate shot is captured in insane detail and color. In particular, the scenes of the birth and death of the earth (complete with dinosaurs!) are stunning.
Two - the score by Alexandre Desplat is equally emotionally beautiful. Desplat blends simple piano with some pre-existing classical pieces and the result really contributes to the film's emotional impact.
Three - I disagree with some of the criticism that Tree of Life is plotless. While most of its scenes are not captured in the traditional sense of beginning, middle, and end (Malick often seems to place the audience in the middle of a scene, as if capturing a snippet of his character's lives), the film definitely progresses spatially in time and there is a common plot thread that can be traced. I actually liked Malick's use of unfinished scenes. It made his universe feel more real - as if these characters continued to live their lives off camera, with the camera occasionally capturing bits and pieces of these moments.
The film, as a whole, is experiential. You have to let the images, sounds, and themes, wash over you and draw your own conclusions from the result. I personally found the film life-affirming, nostalgic, and very beautiful. Others may be bored or frustrated. I think, though, that that is the nature of art; that it is open to different perspectives and audiences.
