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The Tree of Life

 The Tree of Life
type
TVTItem
 The Tree of Life
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The Tree of Life
 The Tree of Life
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TheTreeOfLife
 The Tree of Life
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The Tree of Life is a 2011 art film written and directed by Terrence Malick (his fifth film overall). The film was released after a lengthy production, originating in an unfinished 1970s project, being announced in 2005, and missing separate 2009 and 2010 release dates before ultimately premiering at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Palme d'Or.At its core, the de facto central character of the film is Jack (Sean Penn), a middle-aged man still working through scars from his rough upbringing, including an untimely tragedy. A large portion of the film recounts this upbringing by focusing on Jack's family in 1950s suburban Texas, composed of him, his brothers R.L. and Steve, and his parents.Jack's father, Mr. O'Brien (Brad Pitt), tries to toughen him up for the harsh realities of the world through strict discipline, while his mother, Mrs. O'Brien (Jessica Chastain), exudes love and mercy. His struggles in reconciling their contrasting worldviews are amplified by the life experiences he goes through, forcing him to confront how he processes love, suffering, death, and the loss of innocence. While the film focuses on the highs and lows of the entire family, it's Jack's coming of age that serves as a through line.This storyline, however, is just one thread in the film's thematic explorations, which primarily deal with the questions of humanity's place in the universe (dating back to the beginning of time) and its complicated relationship with God. This is achieved through extended sequences of abstract, nonverbal, and often Scenery Porn-filled imagery, such that many have called the film the 21st-century equivalent of 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Apart from the similar thematic focuses, both films also feature work from visual effects artist Douglas Trumbull, whom Malick had actually convinced to come out of retirement.)In late 2018, The Tree of Life was re-released by The Criterion Collection in a set containing a 4K digital restoration of the film and an extended cut with 50 added minutes, largely composed of never-before-seen footage with new characters and scenes as well as modifications of existing scenes, music, and color grading. Malick has gone on record stating that this cut of the film should be viewed as an alternative version, and not the definitive one.
 The Tree of Life
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2023-05-02T14:57:20Z
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2023-05-02T14:57:20Z
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Dropped link to Montages: Not a Feature - ITEM
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DBTropes
 The Tree of Life / int_15b2cab3
type
Tempting Fate
 The Tree of Life / int_15b2cab3
comment
Tempting Fate: Kid, if you think that putting your finger in front of a BB gun will result in anything other than pain and misery, your loss. Averted earlier with Jack's brother being dared to poke a wire into a lamp without the lightbulb. He's initially suspicious, but even after licking his finger and poking it in, still nothing happens.
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As the Good Book Says...
 The Tree of Life / int_2439b588
comment
As the Good Book Says...: The movie starts off with a quote from the Book of Job to set the theme about the role of God in the universe and how God's way is often incomprehensible to humans.
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Death of a Child
 The Tree of Life / int_269e82c1
comment
Death of a Child: R.L. dies offscreen early in the film, and it devastates the family, most of all Mrs. O'Brien, who visibly crumples after hearing the news.
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Mother Nature, Father Science
 The Tree of Life / int_2847a9f9
comment
Mother Nature, Father Science: Jack's parents embody the Yin-Yang Clash; his father is the Way of Nature and his mother is the Way of Grace.
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Age-Appropriate Angst
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comment
Age-Appropriate Angst: Young Jack. Watching a friend die and dealing with abusive parents causes him to lash out against spirituality and his family in realistic ways, though his philosophy doesn't elevate past anything you expect of a kid.
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Blessed with Suck
 The Tree of Life / int_3c3f28a5
comment
Blessed with Suck: Mankind. And yet, at the same time, the film still has a hopeful tone.
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Ethereal Choir
 The Tree of Life / int_4364fe24
comment
Ethereal Choir / Ominous Latin Chanting: Lacrimosa, part of the Dies Irae sequence of the Requiem mass (composed by several different artists, but most famously Mozart) places over several scenes.
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type
Scenery Porn
 The Tree of Life / int_49d59be9
comment
Scenery Porn: Exaggerated with incredible cinematography, every frame is a fluid painting, and special mention goes to the field of sunflowers and the beach.
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The Tree of Life / int_49d59be9
 The Tree of Life / int_4b8932a4
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Stalking Is Love
 The Tree of Life / int_4b8932a4
comment
Stalking Is Love: Jack gets a crush on a fellow classmate and follows her home. Later he spies on through her house's windows and sees her father yelling at her mother. Lastly, he enters their house while her family's gone.
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Bookends
 The Tree of Life / int_5313c266
comment
Book Ends: The mysterious flame-like light flickering in the darkness.
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type
Kids Are Cruel
 The Tree of Life / int_63389b0b
comment
Kids Are Cruel: Once Jack's father leaves for a business trip, he and his friends start to drift into crueler acts, like blowing up birds' eggs or tying a frog to a rocket.
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 The Tree of Life / int_6bda9a30
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Meaningful Name
 The Tree of Life / int_6bda9a30
comment
Meaningful Name: Jack's initials are J.O'B.
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 The Tree of Life / int_6e429ce0
type
Standard '50s Father
 The Tree of Life / int_6e429ce0
comment
Standard '50s Father: A rather grim example, also including elements of Dad the Veteran (although he is still in active service during the movie, it seems) and Tough Love.
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 The Tree of Life / int_71456526
type
VictoriousChildhoodFriend
 The Tree of Life / int_71456526
comment
Victorious Childhood Friend: Perhaps averted. Jack's wife when he's an adult doesn't seem to be the girl he crushed on at school; she looked Hispanic, and Jack never even spoke to her.
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Arc Words
 The Tree of Life / int_7464705c
comment
Arc Words: The "way of nature" and the "way of grace". "Where were you?" "Brother..."
 The Tree of Life / int_7464705c
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type
Yin-Yang Clash
 The Tree of Life / int_76ce27d3
comment
Yin-Yang Clash: "The way of nature, and the way of grace."
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 The Tree of Life / int_82accf22
type
Gainax Ending
 The Tree of Life / int_82accf22
comment
Gainax Ending: The finale involves Jack leaving work and having a vision where he follows a young girl across rocky terrain, steps through a wooden door frame on rock to see a view of the future where the sun expands into a red giant, follows the girl and a younger version of him across varying landscapes, sees the dead return to life, is reunited with his family, and brings his young brother to his parents, after which his mother prays and says, "I give him to you. I give you my son." The film then cuts back to reality, ending on an image of a suspension bridge. Yeah.
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 The Tree of Life / int_863fa679
type
What Happened to the Mouse?
 The Tree of Life / int_863fa679
comment
What Happened to the Mouse?: There are many quick visuals and suggestions of bigger stories that are merely glimpsed and then never revisited, including: a man has a seizure on the family's front lawn, and the mother prevents her children from seeing it; a man is arrested as the entire town watches; a house burns down and a young boy, one of the brothers' friends, suffers burns on his head, and more. Also, we never find out which brother died. Although it's never clarified, from Mr and Mrs O' Brien's reactions to seeing him on the beach coupled with the emphasis on his and Jack's relationship it is presumably the blonde slightly younger brother who kicks the bucket.
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 The Tree of Life / int_8ddd2bb5
type
Earthy Barefoot Character
 The Tree of Life / int_8ddd2bb5
comment
Earthy Barefoot Character: Jack's mom, though when she's at home she wears shoes. But when she is barefoot she's usually standing in nature.
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The Tree of Life / int_8ddd2bb5
 The Tree of Life / int_a07afea2
type
Random Events Plot
 The Tree of Life / int_a07afea2
comment
Random Events Plot: The film flashes back from Adult Jack's situation to the Big Bang, then to random events in his childhood that have little link other than explaining his relationship to God and family.
 The Tree of Life / int_a07afea2
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 The Tree of Life / int_a10f3840
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Heaven
 The Tree of Life / int_a10f3840
comment
Heaven: At least the ending can be interpreted that way.
 The Tree of Life / int_a10f3840
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The Tree of Life / int_a10f3840
 The Tree of Life / int_a1575551
type
Living Prop
 The Tree of Life / int_a1575551
comment
Living Prop: Jack has a wife, but all she does in the film is get dressed for work and leave.
 The Tree of Life / int_a1575551
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 The Tree of Life / int_adfd3165
type
For the Evulz
 The Tree of Life / int_adfd3165
comment
For the Evulz: One interpretation of Jack breaking into an unoccupied home, then stealing a dress from it and sending it down a river.
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 The Tree of Life / int_b11ac9f5
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Abusive Parents
 The Tree of Life / int_b11ac9f5
comment
Abusive Parents: Jack's father, when he's "defied".
 The Tree of Life / int_b11ac9f5
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 The Tree of Life / int_bcac7f63
type
Distant Prologue
 The Tree of Life / int_bcac7f63
comment
Distant Prologue: It begins simply enough, and then the Big Bang happens. Literally.
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The Tree of Life / int_bcac7f63
 The Tree of Life / int_bef696dd
type
Mind Screw
 The Tree of Life / int_bef696dd
comment
Mind Screw: Not just the Gainax Ending, but a few brief, but glaringly noticeable shots such as the underwater house shot signifying Jack's birth and one scene in which the mother is floating and dancing in the front yard.
 The Tree of Life / int_bef696dd
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The Tree of Life / int_bef696dd
 The Tree of Life / int_c2c30ef6
type
Angst
 The Tree of Life / int_c2c30ef6
comment
Angst: Adult Jack. He has little interest in his life and situation, and is still deeply affected by his childhood and the loss of his brother.
 The Tree of Life / int_c2c30ef6
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The Tree of Life / int_c2c30ef6
 The Tree of Life / int_c819533b
type
Rage Breaking Point
 The Tree of Life / int_c819533b
comment
Rage-Breaking Point: After Mr. O'Brien is told by his son to "be quiet," he launches into a terrifying rage.
 The Tree of Life / int_c819533b
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The Tree of Life / int_c819533b
 The Tree of Life / int_c868a42a
type
Freudian Excuse
 The Tree of Life / int_c868a42a
comment
Freudian Excuse: Oh yeah. Jack is very attached to his mother, and idealizes her in his memories. "She only loves ME!", which he yells at his father, reeks of Freudian competition
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The Tree of Life / int_c868a42a
 The Tree of Life / int_ca87e3ec
type
No Name Given
 The Tree of Life / int_ca87e3ec
comment
No Name Given: Only Jack is given a name within the story; the other brothers' names and the family surname are only revealed in the credits: R.L. and Steve O'Brien.
 The Tree of Life / int_ca87e3ec
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The Tree of Life / int_ca87e3ec
 The Tree of Life / int_ce0b2b21
type
Monochrome Casting
 The Tree of Life / int_ce0b2b21
comment
Monochrome Casting: Approximately 3 of the over 120 minutes of this movie feature non-white people onscreen.
 The Tree of Life / int_ce0b2b21
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The Tree of Life / int_ce0b2b21
 The Tree of Life / int_ce2969d8
type
Spiritual Antithesis
 The Tree of Life / int_ce2969d8
comment
Spiritual Antithesis: Melancholia is regarded as this, to the point where it gained the status as this movie's rival. As The Tree of Life concerns about the correlation of humanity's empathy to the creation of the universe, Melancholia concerns about the correlation of humanity's cruelty to the end of the universe. Both being arthouse films with several shots of the universe with special effects didn't help.
 The Tree of Life / int_ce2969d8
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The Tree of Life / int_ce2969d8
 The Tree of Life / int_d148b019
type
Mundane Made Awesome
 The Tree of Life / int_d148b019
comment
Mundane Made Awesome: Ye gods. As if the constant Ethereal Choir over family picnics and kids playing wasn't enough, a tense family dinner is played to swift classical music, which may or not have actually been in the scene.
 The Tree of Life / int_d148b019
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 The Tree of Life / int_de9c7ad5
type
Vision Quest
 The Tree of Life / int_de9c7ad5
comment
Vision Quest: See Gainax Ending
 The Tree of Life / int_de9c7ad5
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The Tree of Life / int_de9c7ad5
 The Tree of Life / int_df410b77
type
Decoy Protagonist
 The Tree of Life / int_df410b77
comment
Decoy Protagonist: Zig-zagged. Jack's parents (particularly his mother) are the POV characters until the focus switches to Adult Jack who is given several minutes of build-up before the focus abruptly switches back to his mother (who monologues during the Big Bang/Creation sequence), and then finally settles on Young Jack for most of the movie. Then, in the last few minutes, the focus shifts back to Adult Jack, then to the Mother, and finally back to Adult Jack during the final seconds.
 The Tree of Life / int_df410b77
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The Tree of Life / int_df410b77
 The Tree of Life / int_e2652546
type
Metaphysical Place
 The Tree of Life / int_e2652546
comment
Metaphysical Place: The heavenly beach, the vast desert Adult Jack wanders through, that weird field with styrofoam-looking rocks or plants or whatever those are supposed to be. Expect this to pop up a lot.
 The Tree of Life / int_e2652546
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The Tree of Life / int_e2652546
 The Tree of Life / int_e9784ee6
type
Epic Movie
 The Tree of Life / int_e9784ee6
comment
Epic Movie: What with its incredibly expansive themes and visuals, although its meditative pace makes it a relatively more subdued example than most.
 The Tree of Life / int_e9784ee6
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 The Tree of Life / int_ed93e953
type
Philosophical Parable
 The Tree of Life / int_ed93e953
comment
Philosophical Parable: It's a story that fully supports Creationism. Opening with a quotation from The Bible, it explores the Christian duality of human nature —the conflict between people's sinful nature and the grace God gifted them. It ends by vindicating God, aka doing theodicy, by concluding that God is always aiming for perfection and beauty that cannot be grasped by human minds. The characters, a troubled but stereotypical family of The '50s, represent this when they discover that the solution to their problems is love (God's prime mandate).
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 The Tree of Life / int_ee9877ea
type
Too Good for This Sinful Earth
 The Tree of Life / int_ee9877ea
comment
Too Good for This Sinful Earth: Adult Jack's narration suggests that this applies to the brother who died in Vietnam.
 The Tree of Life / int_ee9877ea
featureApplicability
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The Tree of Life / int_ee9877ea
 The Tree of Life / int_f64a9cf7
type
Earn Your Happy Ending
 The Tree of Life / int_f64a9cf7
comment
Earn Your Happy Ending: It's largely implicit and abstract, but the film seems to end with Jack changing his perspective on the world, gathering the strength to forgive his father, reconciling with his family, and finding a new lease on life in the name of hope and love.
 The Tree of Life / int_f64a9cf7
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 The Tree of Life / int_fa052df3
type
Trippy Finale Syndrome
 The Tree of Life / int_fa052df3
comment
Trippy Finale Syndrome: And what a trip it is...
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

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