After watching this film, I found it difficult to rate (something I do with every film I watch). Unlike most films, I did not love it or like it or dislike it or hate it. I could not place it in any of those categories because I found myself thinking that within the film that I watched was a masterpiece, but that masterpiece wasn't the final product that was shown on the screen. The film is a grand meditation on the meaning of life and the essence of morality, framed within the existential crisis of a middle aged man remembering his childhood, but touching on the creation of the world, the start of life on our planet, and the progression of life from that point until the birth of our protagonist. The core of the story is the main character's struggles with his parents competing influences. This story, the one of the man's childhood and it's effect on the adult he grows to be, has the potential to be a masterpiece of cinema. It makes up the bulk of the film and it is absolutely great. However, I found the grander parts of the film which gave the film its epic scope detracted from the effect of this primary narrative. I found that even when I was immensely enjoying the film, I myself being bothered by the inclusion of those extraneous parts. I found myself frustrated by this, as I saw a landmark film detracted from in such a major way, and wished that the director would have gone smaller and more focused in scope, and given us the touching human story that makes up the real narrative of the film. I would recommend the viewing of this film to cinephiles, but I would caution that many may find the experience frustrating, a feeling to which I can relate.
Review of The Tree of Life
