MovieChat Forums > The Tree of Life (2011) Discussion > Whether you loved it or hate it, please ...

Whether you loved it or hate it, please explain why.

posted 12 years ago by amandaaaj
69 replies | jump to latest

I'm definitely full of conflicting feelings regarding this film and I came to imdb seeking exposure to other peoples' thought processes. Unfortunately, within most threads I've looked at all I've found is comments like these:

"This is a unique and beautiful masterpiece and one of the best films ever made."

or....

"Worst. Film. Ever.
End of story."

People rarely actually explain why they liked or disliked the movie. These are the most specific comments I have found on either side, and it's comments like these that I want to request in this thread:

"The film transcends categorization because it attempts to encompass the grandeur of not only human life, but of ALL life" (still pretty vague but honestly the most specific comment I found on the positive side).

or...

"I see little worth in a film with no structure, no plot and no coherence. I see little skill in filming a 20 minute sequence about the start of the world narrated by whispered nonsense and injecting it into a random part of the film. The only good thing was some nice visuals, but that doesn't make it unique."

What these people have done is provided reasons for their opinions. I challenge everyone in this thread to post your opinion of this film, and clearly EXPLAIN why you feel that way. I'm dying to actually understand everyone's opinions and thought processes. This is not a place to debate whether this was a good or bad film or to convince others the way they think is wrong, this is a place to express YOUR OWN opinion and then clearly explain why you feel that way. No cop-outs aloud.

I'm curious how many people are actually capable of defending any of their positions on this film.

[–] Nelson4815 10 years ago

I loved it.

After seeing it for the first time the scenes and music just kept coming back to me for a couple of weeks.

I like it for its ambition and scope, the way it makes you feel like you are going through someones mind and memories, the way it portrays childhood and brotherhood, loss of a sibling, and definitely the amazing music.

I hate it when people call this "pretentious". Well in my opinion it is the people that call it pretentious that are the real pretentious ones. As if only they can judge on what a movie can be about. I think it's very sad whenever a film is brave enough to look at our place in the universe and the meaning of life and does it in such a beautiful and ambiguous way it gets called pretentious. OK i get, reflecting on your place in the universe makes you uncomfortable, so you make fun of it and degrade it. Good for you!

[–] nick_reynolds2011 10 years ago

I loved it. It was the most beautiful film I've ever seen. It was mesmerizing. It was atmospheric. It was thought provoking. It was different. The acting was excellent.

I don't know how else to say it, other than it was one of the more memorable movies I've ever had the pleasure of viewing.

[–] hateconsumesme 9 years ago

My opinion:
This is by far the worst movie I've ever seen. I've watched it three times, trying to find what's good about it. The third time, I had to do it while heavily drunk. All three times, I came away FURIOUS, shaking my head. Even when drunk, I hated it.

Why:
A movie is SUPPOSED to tell a story. A story has a beginning, middle, and end. But this movie has nothing. It's NOT a story. It's not about anything. It's just psuedointellectial goatee-stroking, and going "hmmmmm." Like so very many art films, it thinks it's the most important thing in the universe, when it's really less valuable than used toilet paper. The movie reminds me of ants building something with a leaf, and aweing over it. Then a human man in a business suit walks by and tramples the leaf, as well as the ants, while going about his business, never even having noticed them, for they are nothing to him. I feel that whoever directed or wrote this, made it thinking it was the greatest thing in the world, while other movies that came out at the same time trampled over it without noticing it at all, (as it should be.)

[–] Cirkulis 8 years ago

I hate it because it's one of the most boring and pretentious piece of crap I've ever seen. From the very beginning it was painful to watch but I continued with the self torture hoping it would get better. But it didn't.

Pretty pictures part - pretty, but totally out of place and felt like a filler to prolong the movie.
Sean Pen part - standing, walking and looking cool like he was told to act like model in a fashion show.
Strict daddy part - there's plenty of movies like that with an actual plot, story and character development.

And please don't mention 2001 anywhere near this disaster, it's an insult to Mr. Kubrick.

The owls are not what they seem.