The Tree of Life

This is one of those films that, like the old adage says, you either love or you hate. I loved it. I'm actually surprised how much I loved it given the lack of dialogue or story structure. This film reminded me of excerpts of 2001: A Space Odyssey and the old home movies of a middle class American family mixed together. Brad Pitt does the lion's share of the talking as the family patriarch, a proud, angry, sometimes volatile man who cares for his family but is haunted by resentment and disappointment. It is a splendid performance by Pitt who for all intents and purposes carries the entire movie. However, it is when the film focuses on the visual that it truly impresses. Not since 2001 has space been beautifully captured, nor has the many splendors of earth and ocean been so brightly displayed. Director Terrence Malick has long been regarded as a reclusive genius, the closest thing to Kubrick that still exists, well this confirms it once and for all. The Tree of Life is a stunning achievement, proof of what great things the art of cinema is capable of when in the hands of truly impassioned artists.