Tagline: Nothing stands still.
Synopsis: Tree of Life is a period piece centered around three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son of two characters witnesses the loss of innocence. We trace the evolution of an eleven-year-old boy in the Midwest, Jack, one of three brothers. At first all seems marvelous to the child. He sees as his mother does, with the eyes of his soul. She represents the way of love and mercy, where the father tries to teach his son the world's way, of putting oneself first. Each parent contends for his allegiance, and Jack must reconcile their claims. The picture darkens as he has his first glimpses of sickness, suffering and death. The world, once a thing of glory, becomes a labyrinth. Framing this story is that of adult Jack, a lost soul in a modern world, seeking to discover amid the changing scenes of time that which does not change: the eternal scheme of which we are a part. When he sees all that has gone into our world's preparation, each thing appears a miracle precious, incomparable. Jack, with his new understanding, is able to forgive his father and take his first steps on the path of life. The story ends in hope, acknowledging the beauty and joy in all things, in the everyday and above all in the family -- our first school -- the only place that most of us learn the truth about the world and ourselves, or discover life's single most important lesson, of unselfish love.
Pitt has never been afraid to headline a big studio project as an actor (see Paramount's "World War Z" coming in June, or several billion dollars-worth of other tentpole fare), but as a producer he has almost exclusively put his weight behind indie-minded projects such as "Voyage of Time," "Tree of ...
Read More »Want to see the Oscar-nominated films "The Tree of Life" or "Bullhead" in your neighborhood? Tugg them.
Read More »Film Comment has announced its critics' list of the year's best films. From a list of critics including Roger Ebert, David Edelstein, Todd McCarthy, and Amy Taubin, Film Comment has compiled a list of the year's best films. Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life" to...
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Read More »In an age when being first threatens to preclude being best, film criticism struggles like everything else to serve a purpose without pandering to the need to grab eyeballs. The heap of reviews I've written over the last 12 months, often under the extreme deadline pressures of film festivals, aren't...
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