The Tree of Life

The first twenty minutes are breathtaking in terms of camera work and editing, and the narrative segments are pleasantly ambiguous. But then we look into space, into prehistory, and back again, and nothing changes. The main story just stays in one place with the unwavering Pit at the forefront the whole time. I don't share Malick's personal remorse, and so I find it very difficult to forgive the spiritual subtext (which quite openly transitions into religious propaganda). It's like a dream, like a memory. But it's foreign, and therefore, no accompanying emotions are evoked. (26/01/2012)

Beautiful images, perhaps even some poetry at times, but the emotions are fleeting. Brad Pitt's performance is phenomenal, and overall the film is more than controversial in terms of what it represents, how it speaks to the audience, and what it is actually about. One big unknown, and Terrence Malick aspires to be one of the greatest eccentrics in Hollywood. (15/04/2012)

While The New World finally suited me in its poetics, in its spiritualism, I perceive The Tree of Life differently. It's really odd to watch it for Sean Penn or Brad Pitt, as they are definitely not the lead actors. The main protagonist is Malick's vision and the main attraction is the editing. (01/03/2022)

Critics will argue how personal and at the same time magnificent this film is, showing film art in its original form, that it is another similar film to "2001: A Space Odyssey". However, unfortunately, it is also a mishmash on which Malick has worked for years of his life. True, he works incredibly long on every film of his, but in this case, the result is simply not as well visible. The story here is fleeting, and it is also not complicated in any way. Actually, it is about the coming-of-age of one boy in a family where things are not entirely simple. Mainly due to the character of the father, brilliantly portrayed by Brad Pitt, which is probably the biggest asset of the film. He is not in a classically positive role but, on the contrary, plays a believable character with both light and dark sides. The rest of the film is... I don't know. Some will say that it is a philosophical contemplation of our own lives, and I say that Malick thought too much about where we actually come from and where we are heading. From this meditation came a strange collage that at one moment reminds of a great retro drama, in the second moment resembles "Walking with Dinosaurs", only to finally turn into an ode to classical music. What pleased me the most was the inclusion of Smetana. After the first notes, I didn't want to believe it, but you simply cannot mistake "Vltava" for anything else. Such a beautiful composition is simply unique. Furthermore, Malick is not original, but represents a modern pop cultural work that pretends to be the creation of a great artist dealing with his childhood and adolescence anxieties. If he had put it in a slightly more accessible form, maybe he would have dazzled audiences on a broader scale. But as the film's supporters defend, this is an opus for open minds. I believe that I have an open mind, but I could also look for divine meaning in every dried-up spit. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/08/warrior-x-ms-1-sibir-5x-rychle-zbesile.html (25/02/2013)

Malick’s piece tells a lot about a life of the dominant species on earth, and amazing space and earth-shaping interludes shows its futility in the overall context. That entire trivial part with the family and typical problems fades away in the void of creation. We have our own unique place in space, that is important for us, the most important, but we should never forget that we are mere dust. Sometimes it’s good to just stop for a while and ponder a little. This is a visual masterpiece and the music is a chapter on its own. And Brad Pitt as a fatherly figure surpasses himself. (24/07/2011)