The Tree of Life

This is my second Terrence Malick film. The first being “Days of Heaven” which I just didn’t get. I became bored after the first 15 minutes. “The Tree of Life” on the other hand took hold of me in a way that I never thought imaginable. This movie is the very definition of visual storytelling.

            As a father tries to bring up his kids in a world where he believes only the strong survive, the freedom of a child’s life is hammered away. Brad Pitt portrays the loving, and yet abusive father of the three little boys. Even though there are times when we want to hate him because of how he treats his wife and kids, he soon redeems himself and we are brought to the deal with the real idea of a natural family. In real life there are very few people who are as evil in the sense that movies portray them. This family is very dysfunctional, sure. At the same time they work together in love and fear. I have never seen a normal family portrayed so realistically in a movie before. There are joyous times when you just want to sit forever with the family and be a part of their personal moments. Spontaneous events are captured and quickly become the centerfold for education and spirituality. Challenges were either met with trepidation, intrigue, or excitement. The boys were facing giants and were supposed to know what to do. They all challenge other members of the family as well as question the nature of God as far as they can. If only they knew. God does answer.

           

Job 38: 4,7 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth… when the morning stars sang together?”

God answers back by showing his power, his beauty, his majesty through the creations his hands have made. Who are we to question the deity that has the power to create life itself? We are shown the beauty of God’s constructive power being held up against the sharp contrast of the destructive power of man. Man will always fight for power and control with everything he has and yet will never fully contain enough of it. Even later in life when the boy is a man of his own, he still wrestles with the questions and principles that were taught to him by his own father. What is the true purpose of this life? Where did all the joy in life go? Terrence Malick presents his audience with a problem that man has. The constant questioning of God’s role in our lives is becoming a nuisance to him apparently. We either put the blame on God for the troubles in our lives, or we don’t praise him for the blessings that we are given. Man continues to fight for approval from each other instead of realizing that it doesn't matter in the end. Life is simple. It is a tree growing a garden. Even when we try to guide it and give it nutrients, it will grow only because it is in it's nature to grow. We cannot tell it to stop growing. It is in it's design. 

Filmmaking is the art of visual story telling, and Malick did just that. He uses the camera’s eye to tell this story. His use of light, spontaneity, and editing make "The Tree of Life" a true work of art. Malick doesn’t present an answer to the questions he brings up. He just likes to hold up a mirror to society and let us all take a good long look at ourselves.