The Tree of Life (2011)

[ron_drummond]

I saw Terrence Malick's new film, The Tree of Life, on Friday. Not saying it's perfect; not calling it a masterpiece; but it is one of the most amazing, and amazingly beautiful, films I have ever seen. I am eager to see it again. It is the greatest performance of Brad Pitt's career. Jessica Chastain beautifully embodies the mythic icon of the

Comments

[anselmo_b]

I only disagree in one thing with you. I do think this is Malick's masterpiece, in the terms of his own work. I believe he has finally perfected his technique for reproducing subjectivity and narrating from the inside of his characters. In this film the viewer gets as deeply immersed in the spirit / soul (choose the term best fitting your metaphysics) of Jack O'Brien as can possibly be achieved cinematographically.

[ron_drummond]

Thanks; well said. And, really, for what it's worth, I know perfectly well that Jessica Chastain is not the mother goddess of the world.

[ron_drummond]

I revised one sentence of my post in light of your comment; and say something nice about you in my comment to fringefaan, below.

[anselmo_b]

Yes, thanks I read your comment. Also followed fringefaan's reference to Kehr's blog. It's really interesting to see how much controversy the film is causing.

[ron_drummond]

Indeed. Of the score or so comments I skimmed, this one seemed to me to hit closest to the mark. Some of the criticisms seemed completely daft to me, coming from people who really know their cinema, generally, but seem to have forgotten that it's necessary to re-remember, to re-vision, to re-watch, to re-consider; the failure to do those things renders so many of the comments absurb somehow.