Terrence Malick would be proud. Rhode Island’s historic Avon cinema has taken an unprecedented step at screenings of his film The Tree Of Life. A sign outside reminds patrons that this “deeply philosophical film from an auteur director does not follow a traditional, linear approach to storytelling… please go in with an open mind and know that the Avon has a NO REFUND policy.”
I did not want a refund after The Tree Of Life. On the contrary, I wanted another ticket. And a tutor. Anything that would help me to understand it, or sum it up in a 360-word review. And allow me to watch this wondrous, pretentious, puzzling, beautiful, self-indulgent and perfectly magical film again.
Superficially The Tree Of Life is about a 1950s family, where the frustrated and overbearing Brad Pitt struggles to show his sons that he loves them. In reality, it’s about so much more than that. Juxtaposing images of amoeba, dinosaurs and the cosmos with the more coherent narrative strand of the Texan family, which is in turn intercut with dreamlike sequences that could be of heaven, Malick’s film is a tornadic, swirling exploration of creation, of time and how the birth and experience of every moment is defined by the knowledge of its imminent end.
And by exploring creation, Malick becomes the omniscient creator, sliding between his narrative strands masterfully. His combination of surreal imagery, stunning music and pained, cryptic voiceovers isn’t always consciously coherent to the viewer, but its emotional impact is unmistakable.
Even his most conventional narrative strand is anything but. Shot in a dizzying, dazzling fashion, Malick presents life not as it is, but how it is imperfectly remembered – as a series of fragmented moments in a heightened world. From idyllic sun-kissed days filled with fun, to the sight of a distressingly injured dog, to every disapproving glance or word thrown by a parent, every shot feels like a glimpse into those small moments that become life-changing merely because they’ve been seared into your brain forever.
As this film will be. Whether you ask for a refund or buy another ticket, your reaction to The Tree Of Life will be extreme. Just as God — I mean Malick — intended.