With auteur Terrence Malick’s fifth film in as many decades coming out this November, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn as father and son respectively (living in different generations of course), it begs the question: what kind of father will Pitt play?

Apparently not a very good one, a role that could be a refreshing, villainous departure for the perennial movie star cum character actor.

Here’s the verbose (pseudo) synopsis:

“The film opens documenting the origins of life, through the age of reptiles and mammals and then man. Progressively, we are swept through time until the 1950s, where the birth of life suddenly comes to seemingly pointless sickness and death. Pointless, that is, to young Jack, who is unaware of all that has led to this point and time, only to arrive to the tragedy he must come to grips with. This is the philosophical thrust of older Jack’s struggle to coexist in a world that seemingly has little to no value for him. The “tree of life” is the framework of the story, how one thing leads to another, a miracle of growth and evolution, where nature is purposeful, and never random.”

Other, simpler synopses suggest a story revolving around a troubled father-son relationship, one that the son Jack (Penn) is still dealing with in his adult life. (see The Playlist for more on that).

Check out Apparition Chief Bob Berney‘s comments on Pitt’s performance: “He also raves about Brad Pitt’s performance comparing him to Robert De Niro in This Boy’s Life. According to Berney people are going to see a side of Pitt they haven’t seen before, which if true could bring him back to the Oscars…”

Bold words from someone who should know what he’s talking about.

Let’s all hope he’s right. I’d love to see Pitt shove a mustard bottle into young Sean Penn’s eye.

What do you think of Terrence Malick? How do you think Pitt will look in a Malick film?