The latest work of philosophy professor turned film maker, Terrence Malick, opened this month to very mixed reactions. Stunning cinematography and gorgeous music punctuate "The Tree of Life," but like Kubrick's 2001, all the dialogue could probably fit on one page... and yet, as Kubrick's vision was of a cold and technological world, Malick envisions a world full of love, beauty and hope.
After seeing it twice I only wish I had seen it with the students of the London School of Theology at their private advance screening. I'm sure it would have been followed by intelligent and vivacious banter. The close of both showings I attended were punctuated by thunderous applause and an equal amount of booing and cat calls. The audience mingled in the lobby afterward discussing the movie, which is something I've never seen before. Some loved it. Some hated it. No one was neutral. A few walked out a half hour into the film while others (myself included) sat on the edge of their seats, enthralled, for the entire 2 hours and 20 minutes.
If your idea of a night at the movies includes guns, sex, blood, adultery or fast cars, stay away! But if you want to contemplate your very existence, or ponder, like one of the characters in the film, "God... where are you?" then you may well love The Tree of Life.
After seeing it twice I only wish I had seen it with the students of the London School of Theology at their private advance screening. I'm sure it would have been followed by intelligent and vivacious banter. The close of both showings I attended were punctuated by thunderous applause and an equal amount of booing and cat calls. The audience mingled in the lobby afterward discussing the movie, which is something I've never seen before. Some loved it. Some hated it. No one was neutral. A few walked out a half hour into the film while others (myself included) sat on the edge of their seats, enthralled, for the entire 2 hours and 20 minutes.
If your idea of a night at the movies includes guns, sex, blood, adultery or fast cars, stay away! But if you want to contemplate your very existence, or ponder, like one of the characters in the film, "God... where are you?" then you may well love The Tree of Life.
As far as story line, the plot is fractal and impressionistic, with cracks, breaks and vast expanses of time and space, interwoven with the microcosm of a small family, of no real import, living in Waco Texas. If I was to sum it up, all I could say was, "It's about the smallness of single individuals compared to the vastness of eternity and their eventual merger."
Steve Parker, a student at the London School of Theology said, "The Tree of Life is not an easy film to watch, we're not sure what's real and what's imagined sometimes... Is it going to be a moneymaker? I doubt it, but I'm glad it was made... It's fuel for the soul. If you want entertainment, go and see something else. If you'd like to explore, wonder, marvel, feel, question, and think, it's the film for you."
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