The Tree of Life

United States 2011, 138 mins
Director: Terrence Malick
Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn

Synopsis

Hotly anticipated and critically lauded at Cannes this year - where it went on to win the prestigious Palme d'Or - maverick director Terrence Malick's THE TREE OF LIFE is an expansive, philosophical film of truly epic proportions.

Ostensibly the story of jaded businessman Jack (Penn) looking back on his childhood in Texas, Malick's boldly spiritual film sets a very human story of 1950s American childhood - by turns idyllic and hauntingly sad - against the alienating sprawl of modern urban life.

This is in turn presented between breathtaking images of the universe and Earth's beginnings. Staggeringly cinematic and Proustian in scope, Malick's triumphant return is a feast for the eyes and the mind that is also unafraid of exploring profound spiritual territory.