The Tree of Life

What did I just watch? Seriously. Someone please tell me. I liked it and I think I get it and I thought it was outstanding, but I'm not entirely sure what I just watched. I haven't been this confused since the first time I ever watched Donnie Darko.


This visually stunning film was a pleasure to watch. Every shot seemed to have a purpose even if it didn't necessarily make sense in the story. There were a lot of things that just didn't make sense to me. I don't know if it was supposed to or if it will as I watch it again, but it worked for me. It made me appreciate all I have in life and the people around me. In the first half hour of the movie I think there were a total of 30 words spoken and the score underneath the images immediately conjured images in my head of 2001: A Space Odyssey. (And the confusing story and ending added to that too)


The Tree of Life is a story about loss of innocence and coming of age. The family we follow has very strange dynamics. One second they are all lovey-dovey and the next second they fight with each other. I guess that's how many families are. A death early on in the film forces one of the children to begin questioning everything. A similar thing open-minded people go through at young ages when they are determining their outlook on life. Many of the scenes are bookended with quotes from the Bible, most specifically from Job. I'm not a religious person by any means, but the whole story sort of revolved around the Bible and questioning God and the things happening on Earth and it worked for me. Every quote, having never heard most of them before, fit in the story and made sense.


As with Super 8 we feel as though we are the kids, but in Tree of Life we not only feel like the kids, we see things at their height in the movie. Rampant with point of view shots from each of the main characters, you begin to feel the ebb and flow of the O'Brien family and feel almost like a part of their family. These point of view shots add to the character development as well, but the acting takes care of itself. Brad Pitt is spectacular in his role and my feelings changed almost every time he was on screen. One minute I liked him the next I pitied him and the next I hated him. Incredible! And the child actors were good too. They remind everyone how difficult it can be to grow up.


The score throughout the film, as I briefly mentioned before was spot on perfect for the movie. As tensions rose in the movie, you could feel them rise in the music, whether it be from a single repeated bass note, or just a symphony record being played.


If you are looking to think about your life and how you have become the person you are today I highly suggest this movie. I'm not saying it makes you think about life in a bad way, it just gets you thinking. It plays with beliefs and religion and made me think about what I believe in and why I believe it. The movie also made me start to wonder how my life would have been had a few things happened differently. But really as much as The Tree of Life focuses on beliefs and religion it focuses on love and the struggle of mother and father inside a child. Two of my favorite quotes from the movie: "Father, Mother. Always you wrestle inside me. Always you will."

"The only way to be happy is to love. Unless you love, your life will flash by."

Overall, outstanding movie, though I don't claim to know exactly what happened by any means. Definitely go see it for the experience and don't be afraid to get too into the film!

8/10