The Case for the Wood for the Trees

I went in to Tree of Life knowing that I was in for something a bit challenging.  When you see reviewers who say that they needed to see the film twice (at least) to get their head around it, it’s a pretty good sign that the film is not going to unwind in a straightforward manner.  And, it has to be said, those warnings (numerous as they were) served me well when I finally came to watch it.

For me, there are three different parts to the film: the deep part, the family part and the woozy drunken part.  I don’t want to ruin the film for anyone going in to see it, but I will try and explain things in a way that I hope won’t give too much away – though a lot of the joy of the film lies in things that need to be seen to really experience.

So, first, the deep part.  For no real reason I could see, a huge swathe of the film has to do with the creation of the universe and, as such, is a pro-evolutionary piece of Darwinian propaganda.  Running over this slowly unfolding tale of fantasy (creationists, be warned) are the odd utterances from the main characters in the film, trying to make sense of it (and “it” being life) all.  The visuals are simply stunning, though they do take what feels like a few Ice Ages (do creationists believe in those?) to pass across the screen.

Eventually, we settle into the life of a fairly ordinary American family in the 1950s (or 1960s; possibly both; possibly neither).  This is not a happy family, for reasons I won’t really go into, but the different philosophies that are introduced at the beginning of the film are played out here, exploring their strengths and their weaknesses.  And this part was definitely my favourite of the film.  It’s filmed in a challenging (again that word) way, but I think that years of “deep and meaningful” and deliberately obscure anime television series had prepared me for the confusing jumble of beautiful yet almost unexplained images and quasi-cryptic utterances.  There are scenes that appear to make no sense that probably are completely integral to the plot in the writer/director’s mind (though the attic scenes seemed taken from the mind of David Lynch), and one could never accuse the story of cutting corners – once the enchanting early childhood life is shown, things slow to a glacial, if still fascinating pace.

Finally (though it actually occurs throughout the film) is the woozy drunken part.  Sean Penn has no difficulty making this section feel like some sort of drug-addled jumble of images and places mixed in with an odd sort of presumed profundity.  While this part is meant to anchor the film to the now, it is also (for me) the most confusing part and, in the final few scenes, also the most boring. 

Throughout though the film is beautifully shot, classical music permeating every scene as it tries to out-space odyssey Kubrik, and the languid pace gave me the chance to appreciate it all, though that same slowness also allowed me to get bored now and then.

So, yes, the Tree of Life really is challenging, one member of our audience so challenged that, uninspired by the ballet of cosmic creation (or possibly mif aed by its Biblical inaccuracy), he left after half an hour never to return.  As the lights came up, everyone seemed to be in a bit of a daze, everyone apparently affected (whether emotionally or in a soporific sense, I couldn’t be sure), but no one really discussing what they had seen. 

It probably does require a bit of reflection and, as aforementioned, a second viewing would probably help see the wood (of the storyline) of the trees (of how it is all put together), but I don’t think I will be rushing back to see it again.  It was good, and some scenes had incredible power to them in their ordinariness and their trying to make sense of the world and the universe.  Visually and musically, the film is amazing, and the acting (Brad Pitt as ordinary Father) is mesmerising.  But it is a lot confusing and really very slow. 

Verdict: Tree of Life is a long and (here’s the word again) challenging piece of cinema.  With the chance to fast forward scenes, I think I would have missed a lot of the beauty and the nuance of this film, but I probably would also have skipped a lot of the tedium too.  Tree of Life was definite worthwhile, but just as definitely not for everyone. 7 branches out of 10.