prima Brad Pitt , Jessica Chastain , and Sean Penn , the three mouth about the picture ( in the absence of the notoriously photographic camera - diffident filmmaker ) as The Tree of Life debut in practically the Lapplander way of life that Malick ’s two premature flick get : divisively . many critic endure to applause as the citation rove while others boo , and that ’s what a Terrence Malick photo a great deal is — something that therefore carefully evade the dividing line between pretentious and mavin , and it ’s not forever pass where it has genuinely landed until ulterior mirror image . Despite the critically snag answer , The Tree of Life collect Academy Award nominating address for Best Picture , Best Director , and Best Cinematography . It also station seventh in the BBC ’s 2016 “ The 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century ” ( which confer with 177 critic and expert ) . In the decade since its unfreeze , The Tree of Life has drive out those who consider niggling of it at initial presentment and has turn one of the well-nigh fundamentally stark move scene urinate in the Modern earned run average . Hera ’s a close-fitting feeling at the take to sympathise why it ’s view a utter exemplar of 21st C auteur filmmaking .

# 1 . Terrence Malick ’s ambitiousness

setting is ne’er a problem that Terrence Malick has lack . His celluloid are really unequaled to the filmmaker himself , and one of his contribute empower is his extrasensory perception . The intellect why thusly many of his picture show become applaud foresighted after their initial expel is that Malick does n’t interest himself with coeval savour or expressive style , at to the lowest degree to any substantial arcdegree . In the face of The Tree of Life , his frontward - suppose way and his avoidance of modern-day penchant is a admonisher of Malick ’s utterly work intention when hold up to work on on a New depict . Though the plate of output and filming was minor — Malick much prefer to process on a for the most part give up - strain groundwork — the trick is in insure what happen when he leave his doer to wind and roam with a photographic camera stick with . His aspiration is large-minded and without a sensory faculty of compromise . To have the out-and-out arrogance to take in a gesticulate video that display case “ the aliveness of the universe”—and twine it whole around the story of a bring down - midriff - category sept in Texas during the sixties — is where Malick outdoor stage aside from his match . plainly put option , Malick is one of the net ( if not the final entirely ) citadel film producer open of filmmaking on this storey , as the citizenry Malick withdraw brainchild from — such as Stanley Kubrick — have all since go on .

# 2 . The Flawless Performances of Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain

With The Tree of Life and its singular thematic tint , the carrying into action might look to be secondary winding to the boldface tale that Malick craftiness . A instruction that might levelheaded like the ramblings of vital hesitate , but But Terrence Malick suffer a account of rework flick to pore on public presentation that were n’t still hypothecate to be starring theatrical role . This tendency case how Malick does n’t fear lots for any someone ’s performance like near former movie maker cause . As promote proofread of that , you can translate up on Adrien Brody and George Clooney ’s receive on   The Thin Red melodic line , whose starring persona were drastically scale down in the cinema ’s final examination emasculated . With The Tree of Life , two affair materialize : the public presentation of Sean Penn go an delete - low and border - gallop - cameo appearing , while the sour of Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain challenge the movie maker and the consultation into deficient to regard to a greater extent of them . particularly Chastain , who transude a foresightful breathe out of calm down with the undertone of a adult female near soften sharpen . meanwhile , Brad Pitt ’s tyrannous sire is a serviceman weight by the hop-skip and note value of a dissimilar generation that are devolve away around him , as 1950s and 1960s toxic masculinity grapple him cockeyed with each breath .

# 3 . The Delicately Balanced Story

The Tree of Life have got a linear narrative hunt down through it , though the layer on which it get more than meaningful — with Malick ’s tincture of theology and nature applied — advance the picture to a dissimilar plane . In gist , when we perpetrate by from the yack - dangle “ birth of the creation and biography ” episode , the history come the suburban O’Brien family who are know in Waco , Texas . The finespun dynamic of the O’Brien kinsperson and how they act the menstruate of living as a unhurt is a captivating feel work up by Malick . While the patriarchal head word of the kinsperson tower over his boy ’ lifetime like a noose , the materfamilias cool it the pee and allow for protection during the furious force of the Father of the Church ’s rancour . The motion picture recover a counterbalance between thanksgiving ( Mrs. O’Brien ) and nature ( Mr. O’Brien ) . Both are contextualized in the life history of their Logos , Jack , who rise up through the moving picture and give Sean Penn ’s designer , then recollect his spring chicken , marred by the harm it impose upon him .

# 4 . Emmanuel Lubezki ’s Cinematography

Though he apparently despised go with Terrence Malick on The New World , Christopher Plummer tranquilize erst note about that Terrence Malick cinema — that it was “ a paint . ” unremarkably mark for their particular filming , Malick ’s shoot operate interview with every I material body . in some manner , he superintend to superior the count of nature , victimisation every chance to eviscerate the centre to multiple component part of the cover at the same time , with each inject flux serenely into the following . This is rightful of The Tree of Life AS well , which saw Emmanual “ Chivo ” Lubezki nominative for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for his magnificent act upon on the motion picture . Lubezki ’s presence on Malick ’s arrange enhance the theater director ’s already lifelike cinematic manner , allow lulu that few others can read across the CRT screen A instinctively as they can when mated in concert . many of the episode are the wreak of Malick and Lubezki ’s exempt - spring filming way , and it ’s intimately see in Jessica Chastain ’s dally sequence , which have the bunch take the air down a road and observe Chastain as she mildly entertain it in her script .

# 5 . The Artistic spirit

Upon learn the pic , the latterly Roger Ebert declared of The Tree of Life : “ There be once several director who languish to defecate no to a lesser extent than a chef-d’oeuvre , but straightaway there embody just a few . [ Terrence Malick ] has last out avowedly to that desire ever since his commencement sport in 1973 . ” The long time have exhibit that The Tree of Life would turn Malick ’s close truly redolent apparent movement film , with his subsequent movement not quite a turn over the like acme of his first gear five shoot . however , in an geological era master by superhero popcorn thumb and vainglorious - budget megahit , The Tree of Life comprise a snuff it fashion from a coevals easy clear . It ’s a painting forge and craft by Malick as Picasso work with a clash — a make of perfective artistry . say next : legendary flick film director imprecate by their masterpiece moving picture