Terrence Malick’s epic The Tree of Life has been (and still is) a long time coming, as most all Malick films are. Luckily, this one appears to finally be poking its head above post-producive waters, courtesy of distributor Apparition, which seems intent on keeping the indie art film alive all by itself (they distributed films like Bright Star and The Young Victoria last year. Hell even Boondock Saints II), with Tree of Life and Kristen Stewart-led The Runaways next year.
In this article, Apparition’s leader Bob Berney gets excited about Malick’s new undertaking and a possible Cannes premiere: “There’s also no hiding Berney’s enthusiasm when he speaks about Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, due in the fall of 2010. Noting that the filmmaker, in spite of having directed only a handful of features, is a cult figure who has been a favorite at Cannes (Malick was named the fest’s Best Director in 1979 for Days of Heaven), Berney is eyeing a Cannes slot to premiere the much-anticipated Brad Pitt/Sean Penn starrer.”
Here’s an updated plot rundown, taken from The Playlist, which took it from IMDB, but has been deleted from the site and re-replaced: “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.”
No matter what it’s about exactly, it’s most anticipated and Cannes seems like the perfect venue for a Malick film of so much apparent weight.
Are you excited for The Tree of Life? Are you a Terrence Malick fan?