MovieChat Forums > The Tree of Life (2011) Discussion > What this film is all about, why it's ha...

What this film is all about, why it's hated, and why I love it...

posted 10 years ago by adr5500
30 replies | jump to latest

This will probably be a lengthy explanation, but here we go. There are three major reasons why this movie is amazing, and at the same time, why so many do not like it. These reasons are interconnected, so I'll probably repeat myself a lot.

1. The film is an impressionistic experience.

This is the most important. It seems like nobody understands this, then everybody gets angry because "what's with all the pretty pictures and no story" or "the characters were so underdeveloped and I didn't connect with any of them" or "this story is so bad and nonsensical." No, no, no. For those that don't know what "impressionistic" is, it means that the film tries to evoke unconscious emotions through its sights and sounds rather than through its story or characters. Most people go to a movie expecting a focus on the story, when in this case, the focus is on what you see, what you hear, and the impression that it leaves on you. Stop thinking about it, lie back, lower your defenses, and just let yourself experience it. You'll probably enjoy it much more.

2. The plot is not what this movie is about and therefore, not what you should be focusing on.

There is nothing to "get" in this film. This is not Inception. There are no hidden meanings or intellectual puzzles to solve. What's on the surface is everything the movie has to offer; some people just don't see it all because they're too busy trying to look past it. When people tell you that you don't "get it", they're not referring to some subtle and profound truth that us who like the film have somehow discovered. They just mean that you're watching the film wrong; you're looking for and expecting that which is irrelevant to this type of film. And therefore, you leave the movie unimpressed because what you were looking for was never even there in the first place. It's like going to a Disney movie expecting a horror film and then walking out halfway because it wasn't scary at all, and then going onto IMDB and rating it 1/10 because it didn't scare you.

3. This film ventures extremely far from traditional film making.

BUT IT IS STILL A FILM. It may be unorthodox and unlike other films, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. "Film" isn't some strict categorical term, it is a form of art. And all art forms have room for new ideas and new methods of creativity. Just look at how painting has changed over the years, or how drastically music has changed in just the past century. Impressionism isn't even a new concept, it's simply been uncommon in cinema because a narrative focus is a much more straightforward and accessible approach.

As for my opinion of the movie, I think it is a masterpiece and the best film ever made. The first time I saw it, I fell asleep thirty minutes in. When it was over, I was left underwhelmed. I thought there would be something more to it. But each time I watched it again, I found it more and more beautiful. I wasn't sure why, but I kept being drawn back to the film, and would watch specific moments again and again, unsure why or how it was making me feel how it was. And now, every shot takes my breath away, and I can understand and appreciate why. This really is a movie that you need to watch multiple times to fully appreciate.
Many point out how this movie is too pretentious, and it is pretentious if you watch it through a very cynical lens. But I've found that watching it with a more sincere attitude reveals how truly sincere the movie is as well. The emotions it evokes are as genuine as you allow them to be. As I said before, lower your defenses and you'll have a much better time. Some people can't stand the religious aspect of it. I'm an atheist, but I interpreted it more as a spiritual thing than a religious thing, and I'm much more comfortable with spirituality than I am with religion. And honestly, it's 1950s Texas, it would be weird if the characters weren't religious.
That's it for what I have to say about the Tree of Life. I've watched it countless times now, and will likely watch it countless times more.

[–] Joe_05 10 years ago

Nice post.

I definitely agree with TTOL being an Impressionistic experience. However, I do not agree with your second point. I think there are many subtleties and uses of allegory and metaphor throughout the film. One obviously being the Book of Job. I would argue that everything up until the end of the cosmos sequence is directly related to Job. A mother whose child is the personification of Grace, is killed in war and she begins to question God as to why this has occurred, she suffers the same pain as Job (minus the physical afflictions). She asks God for answers. We are also presented with Jack, who is also questioning the validity of God, much the same as Job. They ask for answers, the do not receive them. Much like Job did not receive them, but rather we are presented with a sequence of the beginning of time through to the creation of Earth. The omnipotence of God is presented. In the Book of Job, God does not give answers to Job, but rather he presents him with a range of questions such as 'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth'. This is presented to us as an audience, as an 'answer' to the theological question of 'Why do good things happen to bad people', 'Why are the ones we love taken away from us'.

Malick is an incredibly intelligent person, having studied philosophy, namely Heidegger extensively in his 20 year hiatus from film. I dare argue that he is deeply theological as well, and I think TTOL is entrenched with religious subtext and existential metaphor.

You could write multiple thesis' on this film.

[–] gorbals406 10 years ago

All your talk of God, Job, theology, creation, and "answers" is like listening to a grown adult writing a thesis on Malick's "deeply theological" ode to the Big Sky Færie, Santa, or the Tooth Fairy.

[–] jbenante-388-963917 10 years ago

That is not a fair statement at all. You sound like an atheist - and that is fine with me, because I am an atheist as well. I will admit that I have not yet seen this movie, but have read extensively about it. And as far as I can tell, the movie does not proselytize any doctrine. If it did, your rather mean response would be more appropriate.

I think your invective would be more appropriately aimed at schlock like the Left Behind movies and such. I doubt that this movie can really be compared to crap like that.

I share your frustration with religion, but from what I've read this movie is not primarily about religion, though it supposedly contains religious imagery.

Chill a bit. When you respond like this, you end up playing into the stereotype of atheists as mere "deniers." There is much more to us than that.

[–] gorbals406 10 years ago

I think you need to chill a bit. I was responding more to the religious sh*te from Joe_05 than commenting on the movie itself. I am much more than a mere denier. I cannot believe that anyone with any level of intelligence can reach adulthood and still believe in some omniscient Sky Færie and then spout that nonsense in public. He should have outgrown it around the same time he realised that Santa wasn't real.

Oh, and as to comparing this movie "to crap like that", you evidently didn't see that I rate this as THE SINGLE, MOST PRETENTIOUS LOAD OF SH*TE THAT I'VE EVER SEEN.

[–] jbenante-1 10 years ago

I am not the one hyperventilating. You are.

I don't believe in any gods either. So what?

Define pretentious, because I'm way tired of people throwing the word around. Oh, and I don't give a rat's ass what you rate ANY movie.

Sheesh. Keep getting in people's faces. That will work for you, right?

[–] gorbals406 10 years ago

Oh, and I don't give a rat's ass what you rate ANY movie.

If that's the case, why are you wasting your time and mine responding to any of this?

Sheesh. Keep getting in people's faces. That will work for you, right?

I never commented on anything you'd written, so, you're the one getting in my face. How's it working for you?

[–] ngrome 9 years ago

I don't think the son was killed in war. I think the son is based on Malick's brother who committed suicide. That's why the father mentions when he corrected his son's mistake playing the piano, the son hit himself. I think the Grace is supposed to be the mother and Nature the father. I could also how Jack is nature and how the brother is grace (but obviously since the kids of products of their environment they will be like both of their parents.

[–] gmiranda322 10 years ago

I recently wrote something that pertain to your points #1 and #3.

If anyone is interested, take a look.

http://moviesnowplease.blogspot.com/2015/02/whats-unique-about-film-terrence.html#more

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] distant-skies 9 years ago

I avoided this movie because I heard bad things about it. I need to start ignoring the haters. I need to watch it again later to cement my opinion, but my first time through it, it left a good impression. The trolls saying "this is the worst movie ever" etc. make no sense. That's like saying that blood beets are the worst vegetable, ever.

Why can't you be a non-conformist like everyone else?

[–] BrianNIL25 9 years ago

I agree with much of what you've said but think you're leaving out a key component in a post titled "What this film is all about." If you watch the special features on the Blu-ray you'll see that much of the film is about nature vs. grace. This is introduced in one of the first lines of the movie, and a lot of what unfolds has to do with this theme. Jessica Chastain explains that her character represents grace and Brad Pitt's represents nature. While nature is selfish, powerful and uncaring, grace is selfless, gentle, and loving. Nature conflicts with grace throughout the film and human existence itself.

[–] Ghostbusters_MOAB 9 years ago

Stop thinking about it, lie back, lower your defenses, and just let yourself experience it. You'll probably enjoy it much more.

So the Transformers movies are impressionistic?

[–] jubjub_13 8 years ago

I think it's really great too. I love it for what it is, although it's too long IMO and the final act from what I remember was disappointing but I have to agree with just about everything the op said.

Are there any other 'impressionistic' films out there similar to this that anyone could suggest?

[–] thanatogenos 8 years ago

From OP:

There are three major reasons why this movie is amazing, and at the same time, why so many do not like it.

None of those reasons touches on why I was disappointed.

Why did I not like it? Because the Pitt character (the father, Mr O'Brien) is not only unrealistic, but also dangerously insulting (in terms of influencing people) & obviously a ploy which panders to the old Rock culture stigma that classical pianists are hateful music purist snobs. Fact: No lover of Bach was ever hateful toward their child. Fact: Classical musicians are the most modest & generous of all music personalities. Fact: Many Hollywood films since the 1950s falsely depict classical pianists as narcissistic personalities & all classical musicians as artistic snobs for the purpose of pandering to the lowest common denominator of American music taste as it is associated with business interests in the commercial music industry (Rock culture) and its entertainment consumers.

Other unrealistic (re: sucking up to conformed American society) scenes included those where, of course the classical pianist is angry & espousing the negative issues out in the real world to his sons. Hello. There are negative things in the real world which responsible fathers should relate to their sons. So, again obviously pandering to small-minded conformists. Fact is, Mr O'Brien was made out to be this awful, hateful character with no depth. As if the part was written by ignorant American women who despise intelligent men & prefer to live in a world which surrounds them with pleasant, conformed behavior where they never have to face any complexity. In that, it's actually a lot like many American women. No wonder it was a popular film. As for men who like it, you know who you are now. Preferred by shallow American women (not all American women are shallow, thank goodness) & without a mind of your own.
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