The Tree Of Life (2011)

OK.....where to start. First of all Terrence Malick's fifth film in 40 years is full of vast ambition and deep humility. It's a story about the beginning of life (quite literally) and shows it through a Texas family living in the 60's. It's also like nothing else you've seen in cinema.

The film can connect to you in so many ways. Growing up, learning and experiencing new things, the loss of a loved one. This is where the film starts. It shows the family living a simple but happy life until the death of the middle son R.L (Laramine Epplier). The cause of death is never explained but shows the effect it has on the family. The oldest brother Jack is played by Hunter McCraken and casts Sean Penn as the older version still trying to cope with the loss of his brother. The film raises so many questions but the main one for the whole film would be what does the loss of a loved one mean against eternity?

Both parents play different types. The mother (Jessica Chastain) is very angelic, loving and carefree in Jack's memory. The father (Brad Pitt) is the complete opposite giving out quite brutal discipline and tries to teach his son's the way of life. All actors are very good especially the 3 brothers who play the roles with natural ease. Terrence goes into the dawning of time for 20 odd minutes which shows planets spewing lava and gas, sparks of life in cells, a meteor strike and dinosaurs. For some this may come as a surprise, but is beautiful to watch and shows the birth of mankind. It is clear why The Tree Of Life won the Palme D'or.

But is it any good? Well it is a resounding yes from this reviewer but the film will not appeal to everyone. People got up an left during most of the film and when the film came to an end you could hear a lot of huffing and puffing and one person even saying "3 hours of my life I'll never get back" As explained previously, this will not be to most peoples liking. You can pretty much guarantee that no one will come out of watching The Tree Of Life and say it was just OK. you're either going to love or hate this film. If your looking for a film to watch for some good Saturday night entertainment then pick something else. But if you want to see something that's totally different from most of modern cinema, something that will confirm cinema is art. Then you won't find a more complex and magical film out there. Simply astounding.