This weekend, I finally watched Terrence Malick’s THE TREE OF LIFE. This film was an intense and personal piece of art. TREE OF LIFE doesn’t play like any traditional three-act film I can think of. It reminded me of THE FOUNTAIN by Aronofsky and more recently, LOVE by William Eubank. All three of these films are free-floating in their narrative, deal with end of life issues and paint a very lyric image through amazing cinematography, special effects, and glorious scores.
None of these films are light-hearted fare, nor are they for those who need a meat-and-potatoes cinema experience. They are demanding of the audience’s trust, patience, and emotions, but offer a tremendous reward for the viewer. If such a genre as “cinema therapy” existed, I’d put these in the top-tier for myself. Have you seen any of them? What did you think?
Eric Nentrup 