The Tree of Life (2011)

The story of a family in Waco Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.

Director:

Terrence Malick

Writer:

Terrence Malick

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 61 wins & 48 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Pitt	...	Mr. O'Brien
Sean Penn	...	Jack
Jessica Chastain	...	Mrs. O'Brien
Hunter McCracken	...	Young Jack
Laramie Eppler	...	R.L.
Tye Sheridan	...	Steve
Fiona Shaw	...	Grandmother
Jessica Fuselier	...	Guide
Nicolas Gonda	...	Mr. Reynolds
Will Wallace	...	Architect
Kelly Koonce	...	Father Haynes
Bryce Boudoin	...	Robert
Jimmy Donaldson	...	Jimmy
Kameron Vaughn	...	Cayler
Cole Cockburn	...	Harry Bates

Storyline

The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.

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Plot Keywords:

texas | 1950s | waco texas | children | growing up | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

Fox Searchlight [us] Official Blog

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 2011 (France)

Also Known As:

El árbol de la vida

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$32,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$372,920 (USA) (27 May 2011)

Gross:

$13,303,319 (USA) (21 October 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cottonwood Pictures, River Road Entertainment, Brace Cove Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dissatisfied by the look of modern computer generated visual effects, director Terrence Malick approached veteran special effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull, who was responsible for the visual effects in 2001: A Space Odyssey, to create the visual effects for the film using bygone optical and practical methods. This marks the first feature film Trumbull has provided the effects for in 29 years, his last being Blade Runner.

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Goofs

When young Jack enters the neighbor's house to snoop, there is a brief glimpse of a tuned wind chime which is heard sounding. Tuned wind chimes didn't exist in the 1950s; there were only the un-tuned, jangly type (and very few of those in middle-class Texas homes).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jack: [voice-over] Brother.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.86 (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Snapshot from the Island"
Written and Performed by Tibor Szemzö
Courtesy of Leo Records

User Reviews

pseudo intellectuals fest

I am among those who believe that cinema must be in first place entertainment. This movie is entertainment just for Mallick and his friends, Then there are those intellectuals (or those who pretend to be) who will say that this is a masterpiece, but for me a masterpiece should be something that is appreciated for its difference, yes, by his genius, but also by its simplicity and not because a reverie on a noble theme, but it is just that a reverie. For example Pulp Fiction is a masterpiece of cinema of our time! Anyway, this film tries to address recurring themes as the cycle of life and religious faith in a different way, but to me the author in search of something unique loses himself, and instead of a masterpiece created a big yawn!