We got a tiny glimpse when Fox Searchlight debuted the theatrical poster for Terrence Malick‘s The Tree of Life, but now, with 36 days left before it debuts in the US, we have the the first high-resolution look at the dinosaurs in the film. Look no further if you don’t want to be spoiled. Check it out below and more photos from TwoWaysThroughLife. If you want more possible details on the dinosaurs in the film, check out the bottom of this post, but again, beware of spoilers.
We also have the tracklisting for Alexandre Desplat‘s score, out May 24th. Check it out below via Lake Shore Records.
1. Childhood
2. Circles
3. Clouds
4. River
5. Awakening
6. Emergence of Life
7. Light & Darkness
8. Good & Evil
9. Motherhood
10. City of Glass
11. Fatherhood
12. Temptation
13. Skies
I’ve also uncovered a possible screening impression coming from the IMDb boards. The user reportedly saw the film last fall during one of the few distributor screenings. The impression is broad enough to not fear spoilers, but I’ve included a few things below that could be construed as such, so tread carefully.
With TREE OF LIFE, you have a film that is tackling a very grand message: That forgiveness, compassion and kindness are linked with our evolution as a species. The film will rub some people the wrong way in its somewhat naive viewpoint. I, for one, saw the film in a very specific moment, where I myself was feeling naive and filled with optimism – the film captured me and I went with it and by the end of the screening me and my friend met in the parking lot of the studio and [we] were crying, not from sadness, but from joy. And this wasn’t just a film school nerd-out-session: No, the film touches on something very unpopular in modern films. It isn’t ironic in it’s melodrama, it is sincere and because of its earnestness it requires that you actually shed your hardened shell and give yourself to the film. For these reasons, it may garnish mixed reviews and befuddled reactions. But, rest assured, the film will be remembered as a masterpiece, I cannot overrate it enough because it sits with me as one of the best films ever made, here is my top ten, in no particular order, to (hopefully) legitimize my claim: DEEP END, MISHIMA, TAMPOPO, BLUE VELVET, EYES WIDE SHUT, THE TREE OF LIFE, DEAD RINGERS, SHERMAN’S MARCH, DON’T LOOK NOW & JAWS.
The film will be compared to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, for sure, and this has everything to do with an extended sequence that really catapults the film to another, mystical, level, and makes it an art film. The reasons for comparing it to 2001 are deeper than it having shots of planets and a very trippy sequence. No, the real reason the film is linked with 2001 is because on the origin of man sequence. In my opinion, what Kubrick argued in those opening moments, was that the foundation of life was built on violence and conquering the competition. Granted, you could argue that 2001 is Kubrick’s most optimistic film, but there is a underlying message of inherent evil that looms over those monkeys. In TREE OF LIFE, you will find the exact opposite message, and yes, I am referring to this much talked about Dinosaur sequence. Without divulging too much about what happens, I can really only say that the way Malick views the dinosaurs is not as violent, but as animals capable of compassion and grace. I haven’t even touched on Brad Pitt’s amazing performance and a final moment of restrained acting on his part that will squeeze the hearts of even the coldest people. This scene is also about forgiveness.
Let me end on this: Around the time I saw this film I also had the displeasure of seeing KICK ASS. This was a horrible viewing experience for me and I found the film to be without any merit. Out of sheer boredom, I gazed around the theatre and something peculiar had caught my eye: A woman, in her mid thirties, was crying during the climatic scenes of KICK ASS. It was in this moment that I realized why something as gorgeous as TREE OF LIFE is going to have a hard time in the current market place. We do not value movies about love, we need ironic disconnect in order to feel safe. We’re a society unwilling to love. Love admits need, foreshadows pain, and insists on vulnerability, and our culture privileges autonomy, prizes comfort, and idolizes disconnect. Modern audiences are not ready for this film, but that won’t stop it’s it from ascending the ranks of top tens lists, and I know it will hold a place in my heart forever.
TREE OF LIFE…felt like being reawakened to the emotional power of cinema. Our generation (and I am certainly guilty of this as a 27 year old male) we have become quite pessimistic, again, only from my perspective. TREE OF LIFE made me sit back and really consider how much time we waste by giving into our worst impulses. On the review sheet, at the test screening, they asked for a one sentence assessment of my feelings, I wrote: “One of the only films I have ever seen that could cause a religious awakening.” Others include ANDRIE RUBLEV, but this takes top honors in my books.
He shared two other tidbits, that 30 minutes of the film, mostly near the beginning was the “spectacular” universe footage and it “will be the most experimental thing in a mainstream, wide released film, EVER.” As for the dinos, previewed above in this post, “there were three species” and that he “had never seen these types of dinosaurs represented in a film” and they “are only there for a brief period of time.”
The Tree of Life stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain. It hits theaters May, 27th 2011 after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival.