Terrence Malick is one of those filmmakers that audiences tend either to love or hate. That black-or-white interpretation of the American writer-director seems confirmed by the reaction at Cannes to his latest film, “The Tree of Life.” Many members of the audience greeted the film’s end with boos, while a smaller number applauded it. It went on to win the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or.
The film isn’t as bad — or as good — as such reactions would lead one to believe. It’s a beautifully made film, poetic in its attention to detail. But underneath its mannered surface, it’s really quite a conventional coming-of-age film, filled with themes we’ve seen on screen so often before.
| On screen |
| ‘The Tree of Life’ |
| 3.5 out of 5 stars |
| Stars: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn |
| Director: Terrence Malick |
| Rated: PG-13 for some thematic material |
| Running time: 138 minutes |
There are two ways to go through life, we hear at the beginning of the film: “The way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one to follow.” Those ways are embodied by Mr. O’Brien (Brad Pitt) and Mrs. O’Brien (Jessica Chastain) (their first names aren’t revealed). She thinks we must embrace the beauty of life, and the beauty of others, though they don’t always treat us as well. He believes the good are taken advantage of, and life is more of a Darwinian struggle than an examination of wonder. Their son, Jack (Hunter McCracken as the child, Sean Penn as the adult), will hopelessly try to reconcile those impulses throughout his life.
Jack comes of age in Waco, Texas, in the 1950s. His father is a hard man to love, though his demands that affection from his three sons. They — and their mother — live in fear of him. But his coldness is just his misguided way of trying to turn his boys into men.
This story is intertwined with scenes of the troubled adult Jack, and scenes of the world’s birth. Yes, that’s right, there’s a “2001”-era Kubrick interlude here. It might be a way of trying to make this one family’s problems bigger than themselves, but the connection is tenuous. In any case, it isn’t really necessary: It’s obvious that many children grow up trying to make sense of their parents’ philosophy of life, and how it might fit within their own budding worldview. We don’t see those parents interact much, though, and one of the three brothers is never turned into a character at all.
Yet the film remains engaging, despite the oft-told story and artistic tangents. That’s a great deal because of the young McCracken’s performance, as he begins with the piety of the young, but then begins to understand the cruelty and indifference of the god he worshipped. Malick’s intense devotion to detail makes the film feel new. There’s as much in the silences as in the music in this unsettled story of America.
