The Tree of Life
Imagine the most beautiful scenes you have ever pictured in your entire life and multiply them by a thousand. That is what Terrence Malick, writer and director, created. The emotions emitted by the film are almost indescribable. I am still not exactly sure of what went on. I know that may sound odd but it is the honest truth. There was so much symbolism through nature scenes conveying the creation of time that is almost impossible to explain. Artistic wonder pops to mind.
The storyline is seen through the eyes of a Jack O’Brien (adult, Sean Penn child, Hunter McCracken). The oldest son of a 1950’s Texas family. We follow his life story and are entranced by his loss of innocence as he constantly struggles to retain what little he has left. As both child and adult Jack seems to be trapped in an ongoing conflict of life, constantly questioning our source of life and reasoning. Brad Pitt play the role of Jack’s demanding authoritative father whom acts as the nature force in Jack’s young life. Jessica Chastain, Jack’s mother plays the opposite of Pitt and acts as Jack’s force of grace/nurture emitting unbridled love for her children. His journey is heartbreaking and beautiful all at the same time.
This film was incredibly spiritual and impressionistic. It is not for everyone and not what I would call incredibly entertaining. The storyline was incredibly hard to follow due to the fragmentation of it. We were given more bits and pieces of Jack’s life and time scale rather than a steady story. There was very little dialogue and it was incredibly difficult to become interested in. I personally respect and appreciate the artistic aspects of the film but not the storyline of the film. It was just to scattered and odd to be entertaining. I was reminded quite a bit of Malicks 2009 film The New World.
It is however unforgettable in respects to all the breathtaking scenes. Terrence Malick is an uncontested visionary. This film is a masterful piece of visionary work. The music accompanying the film was incredible. Without it the scenery and story would not have had the same effect. The sound and visuals for this film were just perfection. It was the absolute definition of phenomenal blu-ray. Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD master Audio, English 2.0 Dolby Surround.
Special Features
(only on Disc 1 BLU-RAY)
-Exploring The Tree of Life
There was only one feature option, but it was a very in-depth one. It was almost a half hr of information pertaining the the making of the film. It included interviews, explanations, location tidbits, casting, and other details all very interesting. It was very nice to get a little insight as to what was actually going on throughout the film. Brad Pitt gives an incredibly simple yet informative explanation of the film that I would have loved to know beforehand. It would have made things much easier to follow through out the film. I would probably suggest watching the feature before viewing the film. It could possibly help in the understanding of the storyline a bit more. That was the case for me. You get a feel for what is going on but at the same time you feel a little lost. Scratch that, you feel incredibly lost trying to figure out all the symbolism and paying attention to the mass overload of fragmented detail. Watch the feature first if you want a more clear idea of what is happening during the film. There is nothing to spoil the film in it. Just explanations.
