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The Tree of Life (PG, 133mins) Directed by Terrence Malick ****
Terrence Malick’s 2011 tale might boast plenty of star power, but it also presents something of a challenge for the average movie-lover.
A more than two-hour meditation on life, the universe and daddy issues, Malick’s then fifth film in 38 years and his third in 13, won awards at Cannes, but it also inspired many walkouts and refund demands across the globe. Most of the latter were likely lured in by the promise of Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, but never made it past the half-hour mark, unable to cope with Malick’s trademark editing style , constantly moving camera and an overdose of operatic-scored heavenly imagery.
However, what those early bailers miss is a film that blossoms into a compelling tale of nature versus nurture, which boasts one of Pitt’s (Fight Club, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) finest performances and imagery that will take root in your brain for days afterwards.
For those of you who demand some sort of a plot, Tree is a mostly 1950s-set tale about a young boy, Jack O’Brien (Hunter McCracken), wrestling with his sense of identity – should he take on the character traits of his caring, loving mother (The Eyes of Tammy Faye’sJessica Chastain), or be more like his strict, disciplinarian, self-made businessman father (Brad Pitt)?
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Brad Pitt delivers on of his finest performances in The Tree of Life.
Elements of similar-era drama Revolutionary Road (with its suburban angst), mingle with A Simple Man- esque Book of Job allegory and surrealistic and impressionistic touches. Extreme close-ups and point-of-view shots assist the intimacy of Malick’s tale beautifully, while an audacious montage of Jack growing up is a highlight. Then there’s the interior monologues – certainly not everyone’s cup of tea – but most definitely a memorable way of conveying a character’s thoughts and emotions.
Equally polarising is the more modern scenes featuring a grown-up Jack, played by Sean Penn, which feel a little tacked on and heavy on the symbolism.
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The Tree of Life blossoms into a compelling tale of nature versus nurture.
One Italian cinema claimed, at the time of the movie’s initial release in cinemas, to have shown Tree for a week with the first two reels switched without any viewers noticing. But rather than this being seen as a damning indictment of the film’s impenetrability, it merely highlights that this is a slow-burning drama that you need to let wash over you and absorb for later analysis.
The Tree of Life is now available to stream on TVNZ+.
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