The Day of Judgment, prophesied for last weekend, has apparently been postponed, but moviegoers eager for rapture can find consolation — to say nothing of awe, amazement and grist for endless argument — in “The Tree of Life,” Terrence Malick’s new film, which contemplates human existence from the standpoint of eternity. Recently showered with temporal glory at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d’Or, this movie, Mr. Malick’s fifth feature in 38 years, folds eons of cosmic and terrestrial history into less than two and a half hours. Its most provocative sequences envision the origin of the universe, the development of life on earth (including a few soulful dinosaurs) and then, more concisely and less literally, the end of time, when the dead of all the ages shall rise and walk around on a heavenly beach.

From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick's signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

Starring, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Fiona Shaw , Jessica Fuselier , Nicolas Gonda , William A. Wallace , Kelly Koonce.

Directed by the wonderful and enigmatic director Terrence Malick. who directed The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven and Badlands.

Winner of this year's Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

well here it is, another drama with surrealism and very experimental elements used in it. this officially was my most awaited movie of the entire year after i saw the trailer, it really touched me and reminded me of 2001: A Space odyssey which right now is my most favorite movie of all time. The Tree Of Life surpassed my expectations from it, literally this movie was such an outstanding work. it stands alongside HP7 2 and Midnight in Paris to be my most favorite movies of the year. and the most favorite to be exact.

the film revolves around the meaning and origin of life by perception of a middle aged man, Penn's childhood memories in Texas 1950's, finding his place in this universe shown with the graphical imagery of origins of the universe and the inception of life on Earth. this movie definitely received great reactions from Critics for the artistic and technical merits but many people didn't liked it for something i love, non- linear and fragmented narration. there were polarizing reactions when it was shown with Cannes with boos and claps.

the style of Malick my be, or actually it is a hurdle between viewers but i think those who actually like these kind of movies or arty indie flicks, those who are patient will love it and it will provide a emotional and visual treat for them. this movie has an extreme boldness of vision just like 2001 but this one has more human feelings and more concerned with humans than that was. this is such a magnificent movie, epic and spectacular, it showed a childhood in a way i never seen before and also what goes on in a mind of a growing child seeing like this was really overwhelming.

Direction of this movie is pitch perfect, though if he handled the narrative style a bit better in the quarter of 2nd half, the movie would have been an actual flawless movie. it looses alot of momentum and loses that whole track there and feels a bit flat. that is the only flaw i saw. great direction. screenplay was good, very good. plot was really heavy and confusing for many viewers, for me too. i still have those imagery and scenes in my mind even though i didn't understood some of them. spectacular cinematography and art direction. with lovely costumes and sound. greatly done editing and really good visual effects. dinosaurs and earth's imagery is lovely with universe too.

Brad Pitt gave a brilliant performance, almost in a sort of way reminded me of The Curious Case O Benjamin Button. really good performance by him. also Jessica Chastain outshined in this movie, she is an angel, a beautiful lovely and very delicate fairy. loved her. she as their mother was just perfect. among the children, Hunter McCracken surprisingly gave a marvelous performance. Sen Penn is not much in it but still he leaves a bit of a mark. overall brilliant performances, one of the best things about this movie.

about OSCARS, it deserves recognition in Best Picture, Director, for Best Actor Brad Pitt (maybe) not sure though but Jessica Chastain is a lock, she deserves it truly. also for Cinematography, visual effects, art direction, editing and Screenplay.

it begins with the life and finishes with the death. the movie has a very sad tone. the way the life on earth, the formation of universe and then a simple family growing is shown is just spectacular. brilliant camera work with those imagery of flora and fauna alongwith everything else. this movie feels like an encyclopedia on Origins Of Life. i loved and you will too.

an utter masterpiece of the first rate. two thumbs up.

I’m going to be honest, I sat through the first half hour of the film and thought, the fuck? And nearly closed it. I reminded myself that I had the same reaction to 2001: A Space Odyssey the first time I watched it too, and it’s now one of my favorite films. So I perservered.

And I’m thankful I did. The Tree of Life evokes emotions in me that I didn’t know I had. I wasn’t so sure about the ‘birth of universe’ line, which takes up a good third or at least quarter of the film, but I think without it the film would no longer hold its existential feel and therefore be no different from, say, Revolutionary Road- A troubled family in the 1950s, though this time with the son reminiscing on the anniversary of his brother’s death. In this way, I think it’s a lot like Kubrick’s 2001, though 2001 certainly took a colder approach. In 2001, we were outsiders to Dave. Dave was only a reactionary character that symbolized mankind in the struggle with technology. I suppose Tree of Life took a more natural appeal, and rather than condemn man and show how meaningless everything man achieves is, Tree of Life definitely made human interaction and ‘life’ the central theme. I suppose death could also be a theme, considering that the brother’s death sort of overshadows the entire film, but I would argue that it was only rebirth misinterpreted.

The one thing I loved most about this film was, just like in Hunger, the limited dialogue. It was a terribly long movie, but aside from the most crucial interactions, it was for the most part filled by the magnificent soundtrack (I’m not counting the background voices, which I also loved). Characters’ actions and expressions told a story much more intricate than what was outright said, so kudos to the actors. Speaking of actors, they all gave a brilliant performance, really (though at this point, I expect nothing less from Brad Pitt). Every single one.

Malick’s use of non-linear storytelling was really rough in the beginning, but as soon as I got used to it, I fell in and was completely taken by the story. The film was experimental, but brilliant.The cinematography was positively beautiful and breathtaking in every scene, even those without grand flashes of sunlight or in nature. Mood and tone are set well with meticulous lighting and angle, and overall, it’s a directional masterpiece.

My final word on the film is this: It’s slow and rocky at first, and sort of tricks the viewer into thinking it’s a nonsensical art film that isn’t worth their time. However, if you give this film the time and patience it deserves, you will be greatly rewarded.