In the summer of 2011 the one film that will stand the test of time in the archive of film greats is Terrence Mallick's The Tree of Life. At the Cannes Film Festival it won the Palme D' OR. Mallick's latest opus takes the viewer on a wild ride through the creation of the Earth. Many critics have compared the creation sequence in The Tree of Life to Stanley Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey wormhole sequence. I agree with these critics. Some other critics argued the 20 minute creation sequence was dull, over the top, and served no purpose. Well in Mallick's defense when so many people keep comparing him to Kubrick he must be doing something right.
From 1973 when he shot Badlands Mallick has demonstrated to the film community that he was a force to be reckoned with. In 2011 he is still going strong. Elements of The Tree of Life and Badlands overlap. The films both take place during the 1950s in America. The architecture of the homes is similar in these films. Badlands tells the story of Kit and Holly and is a road movie. Along the road teenage sex, violence, and beauty are displayed against stark landsapes.
The Tree of Life takes the viewer into the eye of a young Texas boy. The way the camera is positioned makes the viewer feel the depth perception of a child. The creation sequence foreshadows events that occur later in the film. The meteor hitting the ocean is similar to when Jack shoots his bb gun into the river. The coil shaped organisms in the ocean mimic the coil shaped failed patents Mr. Obrien tries to create. The light on the children's wall is the same as light at the beginning of the film. The river in which the dinosaurs inhabit is framed and shot the same way as the river the brothers swim in.
Another aspect of the film worth looking at is architecture. Adult Jack portrayed brilliantly by Sean Penn is an architect. One of the few lines that is discernable in his brief screen time at the beginning of the film is he say's in a whisper "I feel like I keep walking into walls" this is a metaphor for the future. In which he lives in an enviornment that is sealed by high office buildings, elevators, and tunnels. Hunter McCracken plays young Jack and gives a tour de force performance. His enviornment is largely free of walls. He is constantly running around the neighborhood, swimming, busting windows, and getting dirty.
The performances by all of the actors in the film is amazing. Brad Pitt plays a hardlined father named Mr. Obrien. Jessica Chastain plays a nurturing mother. For me she is the most astonishing aspect of the film. She is a mother who is such a nurturing and magical woman. Chastain wants her boys to be filled with love in their hearts. Pitt wants them to be physically tough and ready for a cold harsh world. Pitt's character isn't a bad person he simply wants different elements from his boys. Chastain wants her boys to be filled with love and compassion in their hearts. She hardly has any lines of dialogue in the entire film. However every thought is conveyed from her in a way by dancing. The film for me was really about masculine and feminine energy. The struggle is played out by the way in which three brothers try to tap into either energy.
The visuals of The Tree of Life are some of the best in 10 years. The acting is amazing. During the summer of 2011 I saw the film four times in the theater because on video it will never be the same. I have never seen any movie in the theater that many times. Usually two is more than enough. I urge cinephiles to see this movie on the big screen. So far hardly anyone has, but I thank Mallick for having the courage to roll the artistic dice!
