The Tree of Life

Over the holidays, my hubby and I watched “The Tree of Life, a 2011 drama written and directed by Terence Malick. The flick had some big stars: Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, and Jessica Chastain. I liked it; Gary didn’t. The film begins with the question God asked Job when challenged about the “why” of suffering: Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? And you’ll recall God’s answer, as revealed in the Good Book: He took Job on a nature walk; He never gave a prose response. He just reminded Job of evidences that reveal God’s wisdom and power—attributes far beyond humans’ ability to comprehend. Which is probably where the answer to suffering lies. “The Tree of Life” explores the same question and answer as Penn’s character reflects on his childhood living in Texas in the 1950’s. Interspersed with that chronology, the viewer also sees footage of outer-space galaxies and an artist’s rendering of the world’s origins. When the movie finally released at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival after missing ’09 and ’10 release dates, it won the festival's golden prize. But not everybody loved Malick’s artistic images and all-over-the-map narrative with its unclear chronology. Hence hubby’s thumb’s down, and my thumb’s up. Guess you’ll have to see it and decide for yourself. Don't miss the gorgeous post-scoring. A soundtrack worth purchasing.