I did not understand this film??

(Spoilers.) In a nutshell the main story is about a guy named Jack who as he grows up feels torn between the way of nature, in which one attempts to dominate the people and things in one's environment, and the way of grace, in which one appreciates the divine in all things. (These alternate paths are set forth by his mother in a voice over at the beginning of the film.) His father personifies the way of nature, and his mother the way of grace. As he becomes an adolescent he pulls away from God, but as an adult he eventually finds his way back to God, aided by the memory of his dead brother, who also followed the way of grace.

There's a lot more to it than that, but that's the basic plot of the movie. (Not that plot is the most important thing here.)

Basically the film is a tone-poem that juxtaposes all of existence with a loose narrative about a family from the 1950s that took much inspiration from the filmmakers actual childhood. The film shows us loose, almost dreamlike imagery that depicts how the grace and the cruelties of nature as well as how the two interact with one another in an occasional combative tone. We also see the creation of the universe followed by the creation of life and empathy. Sean Penn's character represents the soul one thinks they lose from tragedy and his rediscovery of the world's beauty after the fact.

But films like this are meant to evoke rather than answer. It's one of those films you experience rather than critique. All that said, I can see how the film's lack of a traditional narrative can result in confusion from an unsuspecting watcher

I think it's a movie to be observed and pondered, rather than one thing to 'get' if you know what I mean. But basically it's about a boy learning about life as he goes along, and being confused by his parents conflicting nurturing/parenting methods. His mother is the sensitive one who wants to see the beauty in all things all the time (especially her children) and is so easy-going about life in general, but his father wants him to grow up strong by making him realise that nothing comes easy and life is not always pleasant. The father acts that way because he wants his kids to be 'balanced' if you will, by making them tough so they can push through obstacles in life and make sure they work hard to get what they want, otherwise they will just live life being disillusioned. But I don't think he understood how young and sensitive they are, so it just leaves them confused about what his parents really want from them. I could relate to the film a lot because I had a very similar childhood. I felt so happy and loved life when I was around my mum, but around my dad I felt like I was walking on eggshells. I felt like I had to stop having fun and be serious whenever he was around, because he was far too stern with me and I really didn't know what he wanted from me. I always thought I was behaving but felt like it wasn't good enough for him. He was a total buzzkill to me when I was a kid. But despite that, I always loved him, and now that I'm an adult I love him even more now. Now that I know why he was like that. It was for a good purpose. It wasn't just him being a downer for no reason. He had his best interests at heart, just like Brad Pitt in this movie. But when you're a sensitive soul like I was, you don't see that. So yeah I think it's just a movie to reflect on, and to determine what your life experience makes of you as a person. It makes you think about how you've lived your life and what you learned from it, and what you will do in the future etc. It's just an ode to life in general, hence the title.