I don't think I have ever seen such a wonderful trailer. This was what made me want to watch The Tree of Life. That and the
fangirling of my favorite director, David Fincher, for this movie. The movie won Best Picture at Cannes, so I figured that this is definitely a must see!
So, I went with my mom and brother to the cinema. My brother was against the idea at first, but my mom convinced him that to be a good writer, which he's convinced he is, he should be able to enjoy serious films such as this one.
The first few minutes were good, but then things got weird. I'll divide the movie into two parts: the amazing and the weird. I can't really keep track of time when I'm watching a movie, so I'll just say that an estimated 20 minutes of this movie consisted of just a bunch of scenes from The Discovery Channel. Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely visually stunning, but I just didn't understand the relevance of it to the plot. I would raise an eyebrow whenever the whispering started. The dinosaur bit was a bit random. Also, the almost ending (I'll try not to spoil it, but it's from the beach scene onwards) was just a huge blur. I guess those are the weird scenes. I mean, they were really random, but they were beautiful to watch. Now the amazing parts were the parts which actually made sense (to me). I was crying so much throughout the film. I don't have a father like Brad Pitt, but there was definitely a point when I hated my Dad, maybe not as much as Jack hated his, but I still felt very angry. I kept crying, because I saw how the father would treat his children and the mother would just sit there and watch helplessly. It was difficult how the father loved his family and had good intentions, but only ended up hurting them. I cried, because of how much Jack's questions mirrored my own- about life and God.
I definitely have to see it a second time for me to properly give an opinion, but I know people only see a film once for them to decide if they have to see it again (wow, did that make sense?) so I'm telling you guys what I think of this movie so that if you've decided it's shit, maybe I can convince you that you need to re-watch it to be able to form a decent opinion (wooh longest sentence ever!).
I am sure this movie took a long time to make. Malick is one director who goes into extreme detail with him film making. Knowing that, I am convinced that this is actually a very loaded film, but I just wasn't able to take in all it was giving. That's why I am going to do a re-watch. From the beginning of the film, I've actually tried to look at every single event and try to understand what it could symbolize. I was rewarded by a headache. I actually do this thing where I compile a list of movies that I'm going to see when I am mature enough to appreciate them (a bunch of Von Triers are on the top). I realize that I'm never going to be able to appreciate the movies if I don't watch them. So, The Tree of Life, definitely a difficult movie to appreciate fully, but the more I think about it and analyze it and listen to people who love it, I realize how it all comes together. This is a start maybe? The next time I watch a film such as this, maybe I wouldn't need a re-watch to digest it all? I hope so. I really live on the moment when a film ends and it leaves you in a daze of emotions.
Even without understanding fully all the symbolic mumbo jumbo, I still have to say that The Tree of Life was a good film, just based on how it impacted me. I was a blubbering mess for a portion of the movie. I was also confused (the good kind) in some parts.
The film was a long 2 hours and several minutes. I really hope that I get to understand all that nature shit, because I will be pissed if I realize that that was just a bunch of stock videos put in to make the movie more ~artsy. The cinema was packed when the movie begun. An hour in, the cinema was only 2/3 full. When people thought the movie was almost over (it only seems like it is, but it actually still has a good half hour left) only half the people were left. When the credits finally rolled, a bunch of people laughed and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was actually pretty hilarious how everyone in the cinema was like "ah, fuck it" and just laughed it off. Ah, Filipinos! (This is not meant to be an insult.) My mother claimed the movie gave her a headache and she did seem tired the rest of the day. This is just a warning.
I have to say Brad Pitt is probably my favorite actor now. And that kid who play Jack is beyond amazing. I mean just superb!!! Plus, their mother is divine. I don't think she could get any prettier. Sean Penn though.... what are you doing in this movie. I did not feel your impact. Also, third brother. What was your role?
So I won't put in any conclusions on this post as I have no concrete opinion of the movie yet. I must say that the more I read on it, the more I understand and like it. I will definitely update after my re-watch (in the hopes that you still care)
PS. (not really a spoiler) I don't know what's happened. I was just reading some reviews on the movie when they brought up the scene where Brad Pitt's son tell him to be quiet and Brad freaks out. I just started crying, because that is EXACTLY how my dad gets mad. He doesn't push my mom or brother to get at me, but his face and his voice and the "what did you say?" and then sudden change in voice to extremely angry. I just... ugh. I'm 18 years old and yet I'm still terrified just thinking of
that voice.
