The Tree of Life| Review
Updated: May 31, 2022
What is life? What do we consider life? How do we cherish life? Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life contemplates many questions few films have even had the courage to bring up, returns Malick to the directing chair, and has some of the best cinematography of all time.
2001: A Space Odyssey and The Tree of Life are often compared with one another. Both films were extremely revolutionary for their time. Critics were much kinder on The Tree of Life, even taking home the Palme d'Or. 2001 was much more controversial at the time given the cinema movement at the time, which helped it carry an understandable weight.
After directing The New World in 2005, Terrence Malick took a 6-year break from filmmaking, where he partook in secretive activity. Malick has become infamous for having an extremely secretive private life, often staying outside of typical Hollywood stardom. Garnering the title of the "modern-day Stanley Kubrick," it's easy to say that Malick just happens to be a famous hermit.
The cinematography in The Tree of Life stands as some of the best, if not the actual best, of the decade. Any competition stands far away from the limelight when compared to The Tree of Life. Easy to say that The Tree of Life stands as both a masterclass in narrative and visual-driven storytelling.
Time Stamp: December 29, 2019