On my way into The Tree Of Life I bumped into a friend of mine from New York and I asked him if he agreed that we were about to watch a marmite film? He looked at me perplexed, of course he had no more idea of what marmite was than he did a marmite film; I quickly enlightened him and in we went. As we left, he smiled at me and exclaimed that he intended to describe The Tree of Life as the ultimate marmite film all over LA (where he now lives). In summation, I am well aware that as many people will hate this film as will love it; I am very much in the latter camp. Simply put, it is magnificent!

The plot, in essence, can be boiled down extremely simply; in a modern day setting we meet the suited executive Sean Penn (who has little screen time yet makes a strong impact), and through Penn’s painful eyes we’re transported back into the fifties where he exquisitely remembers a chequered relationship with his all powerful father (Brad Pitt), his beautifully gentle mother (Jessica Chastain) and his two brothers – one of whom we learn died at 19 in an inferred military incident. It is no coincidence that the story of Pitt’s relationship with his family is told with such intricately tiny detail that it brilliantly juxtaposes the infinite size of the universe we are now transported into; in a virtually dialogue free twenty minute sequence we experience the creation of a universe, from the big bang through to dinosaurs, Malick guides us through the birth of, well, everything! (Yes this is still the same film and no I wasn’t on acid)

I challenge anyone to accurately and sufficiently describe The Tree Of Life. An accomplished poet would struggle to do it justice and that is precisely the point, this a cinema in its purest form, visceral movie making from a film maker brave enough to put his neck on the line, it’s as much a visual poem, a piece of art, as it is a film. But by saying that, I certainly don’t mean to take anything away from the drama at the heart of The Tree Of Life. Pitt is immensely strong, his proud, powerhouse of a performance is at times genuinely terrifying (an incident at the dinner table left the Cannes audience literally gasping) and at times heart breaking, a confessional moment toward the end of the film beautifully climaxes a character arc most actors would kill to be able to pull off. A special mention must also go to Hunter McCracken, who in his film debut, pulls off one of the most head turning performances of a child actor I’ve ever seen, expect great things from him. One scene between McCracken and the also excellent Laramie Eppler involving a lamp with no bulb, is genuinely terrifying to watch, I found myself struggling not to look away and I noticed I wasn’t alone.

The cinematography is sublime, shot with flair, imagination and vibrancy, Emmanuel Lubezki excels. The score also matches up, perfectly complimenting both the human drama unfolding as well as the ambitious visuals of the universe.

The message of the film was tough for me, there was certainly a clear religious element but I found it more spiritually agnostic, rather than pushing an agenda, despite a quote from The Book of Job at the beginning. On the one hand it implied the insignificance of our existence in the great scheme of things, whilst questioning if God does exist, is he listening, does he even care about each and every one of our lives? Yet on the other hand it seems to revel in and celebrate the beauty of the world and universe as a whole, suggesting it is all somehow wonderfully connected; and in a final act I certainly didn’t see coming, Malick leaves a strong hint as to which way he appears to lean. I felt the intention of the film is an extremely admirable one, it comes from a optimistic place. But then again I think the one thing The Tree Of Life will certainly leave everyone agreeing upon is that it is very much open to interpretation!

A beautifully brave, emotionally engaging, thought provoking movie best described as visual poetry in motion. Or as my friend sitting next to me described it; pretentious f*****g drivel. It’s a marmite film alright and like all marmite films, I strongly suggest you see it for yourself…

[Rating:5/5]

Review by Dominic Burns