Terrence Malick’s newest film, The Tree of Life, is at once a poem, a prayer, a family drama, and an exploration of humanity, God, and all of creation. It is therefore fitting that the film opens with a quotation from the book of Job — “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation…while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (38.4,7) — which, besides being the oldest book of the Bible, is itself a poem, prayer, family drama, and an exploration of humanity, God, and all of creation. This will not be in any way a traditional review because, quite simply, I don’t know how to review what I saw last Friday night. This post has taken me a long time to write. The Tree of Life is one of the most beautifully-photographed and beautifully-written films I have seen. It is challenging and also extremely risky. For large sections of the film, we hear little dialogue aside from some voice-overs in prayerful whispers. These whispers are the only things linking the brief shots of the O’Briens, the central family of the film. There is also a long sequence detailing the creation of the universe that brings to mind 2001: A Space Odyssey. This movie calls people in, but it will not pander. The Tree of Life ushers us into another world, or rather, another way of seeing our world as full of violence and grace, yet it is no summer escapism. It demands that you work and it makes for a wonderful experience.
The film makes these bold statements: all of creation can be told in the story of one family and one family fits into the story of all of creation. In print that sounds audacious and even pretentious, but it is a testament to Malick’s skill that the film does not come across as bombastic. Rather, it deals deeply and sincerely with some of the most difficult questions we ever face — those questions we often are afraid to ask because answers seem so elusive.
The Tree of Life requires viewers to bring something to the film. As I watched the screen, I found myself drawn into prayer, slowly, like walking a labyrinth, challenged by the questions the characters face. The central character, Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn), struggles with modern life, especially as he remembers the death of his younger brother at the age of nineteen. Jack’s state leads him to a series of existential questions like Job. He remembers his life as an adolescent (Jack at this stage is played by Hunter McCracken) and the lessons his mother and father taught him. These lessons set up the framework for the contradictions and challenges that trouble him. In his questioning, Jack receives a vision of the creation of the world.
Jack’s mother (Jessica Chastain) says in the film, “There are two ways through life: the way of nature, and the way of Grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow.” Mrs. O’Brien embodies for him the way of grace, juxtaposed with his father (Brad Pitt), who resembles the way of nature. Mrs. O’Brien is gentle, reminding her three sons to look at the world with wonder and gratefulness. Mr. O’Brien, on the other hand is stern, a disciplinarian, who equally loves his children, but sees them and the world at large as things to be controlled. Jack has difficulty reconciling these two forces. Despite the contradictions between nature and grace, we see that Mr. O’Brien is capable of grace when he plays music with ease. He is at his most forgiving when Jack’s younger brother is learning the guitar. There may be a conflict between nature and grace, but somehow they are not so much contradictions as a paradox, and ultimately, we see as people gather in a vision like Heaven that the way of grace triumphs. In this paradox, the audience senses the larger hand of God, inscrutable and yet present and loving. As the preacher asks, do only those who receive blessings see God? Do not those who have had things taken away also know God?
What are we to make of the obvious beauty and terror in our universe? As we see in the creation section of the film, the world was beautiful and good, teeming with amazing creatures, who were themselves wonderful and violent, and then came an asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs. Utter devastation. Without that important step in the history of life, however, human beings would have never emerged. Was the asteroid good or bad? Do we actually have the categories of thought and capacity of wisdom to make that judgment? I have been perplexed by what we have traditionally called “natural evil,” those acts of evil that happen without any conscious effort by human beings, such as tornadoes, heart attacks, and many other natural phenomena. These phenomena challenge my belief in a good God more than any other problems. Even though I cannot call tsunamis good, I can neither call the realities of our physical world simply evil. For example, earthquakes are some of the most destructive forces in the world, killing millions throughout history. Yet without earthquakes, we would not have the Sierra Nevada mountain range, on which giant sequoia trees grow. The giant sequoias are the largest living things on the planet, behemoths of beauty and grace that live for millennia. The trees can only grow at elevations between 4,000 and 8,000 feet. Without those destructive earthquakes, the result of plate tectonics thrusting the Sierra Nevada up into the air, the giant sequoias would never exist. Furthermore, scientists tell us it is likely that the movement of the Earth’s plates, which leads to our earthquakes and volcanoes is also necessary for all life to exist. Would we prefer a world without earthquakes or without giant sequoias and human families?
The Tree of Life leaves viewers with more than they brought. For the past few days, I have seen all of my world through the film’s lens. Sunsets are wonderful miracles. The sermon I heard Sunday morning dealing with fathers reminded me of scenes from the film of Mr. O’Brien, as he struggles to love his family despite his imperfections and pride. I read Psalm 8 before and after the film and the second reading felt so much richer and evoked so much more awe in me because scenes from the film ran through my head as I prayed those beautiful and ancient words. The characters are amazingly fleshed out and many viewers will likely connect with Mrs. O’Brien the most, but it being Father’s Day weekend when I saw the film, my father, who died almost four years ago was on my mind. Scenes of Mr. O’Brien squirting his sons in their yard with the hose, as my father did with my brother and I, brought me to tears. I remember the giant hand of my father on my shoulder or neck as a child, encouraging or disciplining me. In these ways, I found The Tree of Life to be an icon, guiding me into praise of the God I will never fully understand, but to whom I am consistently drawn.
I have been pining all week to go back to the theater to see The Tree of Life again. It is a film I will purchase. I cannot recommend it highly enough, but because people tend to love or hate Malick’s films (I’m on the love side, if you haven’t figured that out yet), I will give people some disclaimers. If you have seen any of Malick’s other four films (Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, or The New World), you will be familiar with his contemplative style. Most films are analogous to novels, whereas Malick’s films are more like poems. Plots exist, characters develop, but not in traditional ways or at the pace of most films. Malick takes his time and his films are best viewed by letting the experience wash over you like a wave rather than trying to remain objectively outside the movie. The Tree of Life is Malick at his most concentrated. You will be engaged deeply, but suspend the demands for immediate comprehension. See it with others because the film will reward great conversation afterward.
Thank you for this review. I too have been contemplating this movie, and it is a wonderful thing. The ‘way of nature, and the way of grace’ part in the movie did perplex me, but I think that you’ve explained this quite well. I’d never though of it in that way. That makes perfect sense to me, and was very observant. Thank you for the post.
Pingback: Year-End(ish) Picks, 2011: Favorites in Film, Books, Music, Television | The Space Between the Arts