Tree of Life (Blu-Ray) (Criterion)
Tree of Life (Blu-Ray) (Criterion)
Member's Rating
  • Currently 2/5} Stars.
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Rate this movie

0 1 2 3 4 5

Rent this DVD

Synopsis

After years of rumors, planning, and delays, Terrence Malick released this ambitious, multi-layered, and divisive film about a boy's upbringing in a small Texas town in the 1950s. Well, that and the Big Bang, the time-space continuum, the origin of life on Earth, and the meaning of it all. (Piece of cake, right?) After a brief introduction to young Jack O'Brien (Hunter McCracken), his demanding father (Brad Pitt), and nurturing mother (Jessica Chastain), we flash forward some years to when grown Jack (Sean Penn) receives news of his brother's untimely death. Then, we cascade back to the dawn of the Universe, the formation of galaxies, fireballs smashing to make planets, volcanic surfaces hardening into stone, micro-biological creatures, dinosaurs, their death by comet, and finally, life as we know it. The rest of the film is a series of sometimes sentimental, sometimes stark scenes of mid-century American life in the O'Brien household, with a stern man and loving woman shaping a new life like so many colliding rocks and revelations in space. This all might sound flowery and pretentious, and it can be depending on your perspective. Tree of Life is also a beautiful movie that works on an emotional and experiential level, even if you don't care how the elliptical narrative relates to the bigger picture. Do you like 2001? If not, do you appreciate a good mystery?

Terrence Malick---USA---2011---139 mins.

Reviews of 'Tree of Life (Blu-Ray) (Criterion)'

Write Your Own Online Review