Movie Title: The Tree of Life
First Watch / Repeat Viewing
Running Time: 2 hr. 19 min.
Rated: PG-13
Who did I watch with?: Flying Solo
Where did I watch it?: Home
Review:
The Tree of Life lacks many basic narrative elements and is heavily inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are certainly elements in the movie’s favor. It is beautifully shot. The lighting and camerawork are phenomenal. It is visually rich and that richness makes the movie compelling. The introduction to the movie is the most and only straight forward part of the movie. Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien (Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain) lose their teenage son in a vague and unexplained way. The movie seems to me to be a meditative answer to a plaintive prayer to God by Mrs. O’Brien that shows her son’s place in the universe.
The reason I say that it “seems to me” is that the movie has almost no traditional narrative elements. It is like an impressionist painting. It contrasts the birth of the universe with the birth of Mr. and Mrs. O’Brien’s son and then tracks them through their lives. There is also some contrasting between the two sons and a pair of dinosaurs. Yes, you read that right.
Verdict:
It is an interesting and visually stimulating movie. See it, but set your expectations appropriately.
Tomorrow’s Movie: Jack Frost (1965)
