The Tree of Life

Colour, 35 mm
USA, 2011, 138 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

A quiet suburb in 1950s America, a family of five. And a telegram announcing the death of one of the young couple’s three sons. The Tree of Life is an epic poem capturing the cycle of life and the minutiae which influence the kind of people we become. As the sons reach maturity, the film moves on from flashes of memory to increasingly more specific concerns which, however, are not portrayed so literally that they wouldn’t find resonance with the audience. Director and screenwriter Malick allows his characters to reflect on spiritual issues, but he also shows them in their routine environment. This sensual film is at once a broad-minded allegory about the origin of the world and a humble story which places emphasis on intimate details. The camera lens of Emmanuel Lubezki, who has received four Academy Award nominations to date, remains in close proximity to the heroes, whom it follows with the same curiosity as demonstrated by Malick in his contemplation of existential questions. Can film help us get closer to God?

About the director

Terrence Malick (b. 1943, Ottawa, Illinois, USA), despite the fact that he has made only five feature films, is considered a classic of American cinema. His debut Badlands (1973) won the main prize at the San Sebastian IFF; his second film, Days of Heaven (1978), won Best Director at Cannes. After a lengthy interval, he returned with the unconventional war drama The Thin Red Line (1998), which garnered him the main award at the Berlin IFF and also an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. His poetic film The New World (2005) subsequently gave rise to the epic The Tree of Life, which was crowned at Cannes this year. The director, famous for never appearing in public, is currently completing his next film featuring Rachel Weisz, Ben Affleck and Javier Bardem.