Tree of Life

It's a lot to take in. This is by far the most radical of Terrance Malick films...the plot is about everything...but at the same time is about a family and its unique grief. Malick has a tendency to have a full script ready and then during filming just shoot and shoot and shoot everything...perhaps he feels that the unique story can change if he shoots hours of film. Then comes the editing and in this case CGI. How can a master of Philosophy and story and lighting and film, change and shape a story? For Malick the story is constantly changing, life moves on and like real life this film has evolved for nearly 20 plus years. In the editing which for Malick may last two or more years (Malick like Kubrick before him demands final cut and that yields quality films but takes a lot of time). Malick may be looking at hours of film and his original thought might have been to tell the story of a family and their loss, but to Malick he can interweave the beginning of time, planets, dinosaurs, birth, and many many shots of children playing...from this meditation on childhood we can glean a sense of childhood maturity and innocence lost. Most films like this can be tedious...stretches of time are spent on wandering people (see Gus Van Sant's Gerry, Elephant, and Last Days)...there are other examples but Malick is a master and this film needs several viewings...I cant even start to think of other film example because this film is so special in its attempt to lead us on a philosophical journey. A few things if you have seen the film...realize that Sean Penn is a central figure in this film...his back story as an adult is sparse but I can see that they must have shot much much more of his part of the story...I can see this because this is an ongoing trend in Malick films...we may never see those clips...but IMDB has a listing of characters that just baffles me...if you have seen this film you can try to recall names of characters...I remember just one...JACK...all others are pretty much nameless (Why?...because they could be anyone...anyone you relate to...OH and because Malick will eventually fill in all the gaps with scenes of trees, a beach, landscapes, animals both real and CGI)...but the IMDB page alludes to a son of Jack's (son?...I cant remember him)...also a wife of Jacks (I remember her)...and an EX-WIFE of JACKS????...what...really?...there is more to this story...but does it matter?...Just like David Lynch or any other absurdist, abstract, or existential film maker...it does not matter...Tree of Life has won the Palm d'Or..it probably deserves it...I can see it being nominated for an Oscar...at this moment it is my favorite film of 2011 (but I haven't seen Transformers 3 yet)...Tree of Life is a film I could have watched for 1000 hours...its beautiful, but the plot is thin...or is about everything...I cant wait to see it again (with the subtitles on because you can hear whispers)...The acting is fine but this is a filmmakers film...Malick continues to be a master and I am looking forward to his next films. PLUS