MovieChat Forums > The Tree of Life (2011) Discussion > Too pretentious, not enough going on

Too pretentious, not enough going on

posted 9 years ago by WalkerFurious95
2 replies | jump to latest

First of all, let me start by saying that I've seen and enjoyed several actual good and deep movies, like Requiem for a Dream, Inception and Mr. Nobody. But watching this movie felt like one of the most overlong experiencies in my recent memory, it felt like I was being presented with a series of pseudo-philosophical nonsense.

Also the plot made no sense, Sean Penn was supposed to be dead as shown near the beginning of the movie, but he remained alive during it, and he was old but his mother was young. Do they even bother to instill some sense into the plot?

[–] The_nettle 9 years ago

Sean Penn's character was never dead in any point of the film other than perhaps when he's experiencing some form of afterlife in the beache scene where the family are reunited. However, I believe that this is simply his character's thoughts on an afterlife and perhaps fantasising about them all being reunited.

I wouldn't try to figure anything out whilst viewing this film, I would simply let it wash over you and see what reaction/thoughts it stimulates in you. I don't think it is pretentious at all. I would liken the style to Tarkovsky's Zerkalo.

[–] scorsese-1 8 years ago

Far from pseudo-philosophical nonsense. It is a visual masterpiece with profound themes on evolution and life.