Tree Of Life
"Tree Of Life" is a 2011 drama directed by visionary, yet reclusive director, Terrence Mallick, and marks the director's first film since 2005's "The New World". The film went through many casting changes over a period of a few years, before filming finally began in 2008 in West Texas after many delays. As production continued, the film became one of the most mysterious projects in Hollywood, and therefore, became one of the most anticipated films of 2011. The film finally premeried at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May 16, where it won the festival's top honor, the Palme d'Or It opened in theaters in limited release about two weeks later, on May 27th.
When I first saw "Tree Of Life", I had never experiences one of Mallick's films, so I had no clue what to expect. Even though the film received polarized reviews, I still eagerly anticipated it. Needless to say, this film did not dissapoint. Yes, It has a long running time, about 2 hours, 30 minutes, and it seems to drag on for nearly five hours. But, after the film ended, I was left truly moved, and with many questions. This is a quiet, and at times overly long film, or possibly epic, that attempts to tackle to examine the history of life on Earth in a fassion that my seem non-linear to many people, probably because it IS non-linear. The georgious visuals and cinematography, make this more than just a FILM. This is an EXPERIENCE, a WORK OF ART, and a breathtaking one at that. Terrence Mallick has created esentalially the film version of modern art. There are some that are going to get it, and there are some who will NOT. Personally, I LOVED this movie, and I was left with many questions about who we are as people, and what our purpose is in this world.
