The Tree of Life | Crafting an Existential Masterpiece 

Thank you! The script in itself is an amazing piece of writing and it surprised me that a filmmaker who uses little words in his films is actually such an eloquent and poetic writer. About your last point; in the script there are other quotes as well that suggest Malick wanted to stick to current science (he actually seems highly knowledgeable on these topics) and not have any definitive elements beyond-the-world-we-know; because that would lead him to fall back on traditional apologetic explanations of the main existential question (like the story of Job) which I'm pretty sure he wanted to avoid. To me personally, that leaves enough room for an atheist interpretation, but the main point I wanted to make is that The Tree of Life is a film that I believe can be appreciated and insightful even to the most die hard atheists out there and doesn't require you to be a Christian or believe in God to be relatable.

Ah yes, that conclusion is valid and I believe the best, to make something spiritually or psychologically or personally meaningful whatever one's faith or beliefs. Malick studied philosophy at Harvard and Oxford.

A fantastic essay indeed :)

The telegram implies he died in Vietnam. His mother whispers, 'What would someone shoot my son'. This is a larger theme than this guy realizes.

@@LikeStoriesofOld you believe in nature,but you don't know anything about spirituality.an atheist cannot understand this movie, because everything is meaningless in existence.you also don't understand in God.

Very few films achieve that. I found some lifelike childhood representations in: "Tideland", "The Tree of Life", "Where the Wild Things Are", and an adolescent echo of child-like sensibilities in "The Science of Sleep".

@@elfsieben1450 also boyhood maybe

@@alexm2136 Thanks for the recommendation. Might check it out.

@@elfsieben1450 one more movie which does that masterfully is Andrei tarkovskys " the mirror".

@@tarunindoriya902 Thanks for the recommendation. I really liked his "Solaris" adaptation.

Totally agree, fathers thinking they can teach us life but they made us dreamless, emotionless sometimes there is some light when i travel or encounter a good soul. We become child again, i forgive him but i know if i am who i am, it's part of him ... Be good to anyone even complicated person but don't use too much energy. Life is short, enjoy every minute. Universe is indifferent but this is unique.

I love you family ❤️

@@hobosapiensSinceShadowMoses Well said.

100%,

Great content brother. I didn't care for this film at on my first viewing. I watched it again during a deployment in Afghanistan and I fell in love with it. I was actually born in Waco too!

Like Stories of Old Like you, I've seen the film 6 or 7 times now, and each time it's a revelatory journey. It's hard to put into words everything that this film makes me feel, but I connected to a lot of the things that you mentioned, and am grateful that quality content creators like you are examining this work of art. I've been looking for video essays on The Tree of Life for years, and am happy I stumbled upon yours. Can't wait to view more of your content!

Currently my favorite movie of all time as well. It took me a couple days to process how spectacular it was

I totally get your experience of this film. The first time I saw it, when it came out, I didn't fully understand it, yet I could grasp its ambition, its importance and beauty. I had the feeling of witnessing something larger then life. It stayed with me for days after and then changed my life, as I decided to attend cinema studies because of this. I already had studied art but I found my love for the medium of film in these frames. I understood that unless I pursued something I loved, my life would have flashed by. Thank you for this video essay.

I completely agree with this and I praise you for your video essay on this Malick´s masterpiece. People often do not know what they see and the initial issue is that in order to see, we must be taught that. Without teaching there is not real vision. I am very moved by your video essay and I have to admit it is one of the best interpretations of Malick I have ever seen. Although I am atheist or agnostic, I would see here a clear vision of Malick and The Tree Of Life as clearly a film about searching for and finding God in terms of Eternity or Life-Giving Substance, Consciousness, Higher States of Cousciousness or, also can be named as Tao / Dao. This film is highly spiritual and it aligns and follows the paths of modern higher spirituality which seeks the ultimate existential goales in forgiveness, acceptation, defenslessness, absence of resistance, pure joy and blissfulness. I have not read the Malick´s script yet, but I am pretty sure here we are touching the bases of the modern spirituality which does not have much in common with the modern atheism - which cannot explain and cannot lead to such an understanding of divine & existential features such as Mallick has clearly shown in his film. The end of the way of Grace which is clearly a spiritual concept is explicitly shown in the one of the last scenes in the big area close to the sea where all the characters are gathered and the Mother with peacefulness in her voice tells the God that she hands over her died sun R. L. to him. This is the climax of the way of Grace, is is not a resignation, it is pure peace and oneness with the life, being and consciousness & higher consciuosness themselves. I believe Tree Of Life is the best film I have ever seen. Despite the fact that many cinefils, cinema lovers or cultural lovers or so called philosophers still do not recognize the qualities of it, it still has to be fully discovered and known by vast audience and valued as one of the greatest spiritual films ever made. This films makes possible the old dreams of mystics of the World: to become one with the God, to become one with the Universe, with the Nature, with the Being, with Yourself, with your Consciousness, to become fully aware of your Existence.

Same here. Amazing! Thank you so much for this video!

So true. Our finite self and universe existing in infinite possibilities - our soul and the Source. Using our limited mind to understand our existence in infinite possibilities. Perhaps, like Malick said, instead of seeking to understand, just feel. Guess the religious call this infinite possibilities - eternity? As Long as there is life, infinite possibilities never cease?

Beautiful

No you are wrong, it's not complex it's really simplicity.

The movie starts with a verse from Book Of Job. Might want to study that book to understand the movie. Then read the rest of the Bible to understand Malick.

Dear Claire C, could you please tell me the name of your thesis? Or, if possible, indicate me where can I read it? thank you

Interesting! Thanks for the comment.

Is that from Father Zosima? or Ayosha telling the boys?

I think The Tree of Life is a direct answer to 2001 : A Space Odyssey. That was also said of Tarkovsky's Solaris, if you haven't seen this one! Though Stalker is my favorite from Tarkovsky!

@@ajpdeschenes Solaris is very similar in theme.

I agree :)

Yes , it is!

Thank you :)

Thank you! And I am on Patreon: www.patreon.com/LikeStoriesofOld :)

out of interest, what area?

@@inco9943 mostly about the indifference of nature regarding the human dramas and misery, a lot of Kieekergaard can be found in his earliest works especially. I did the thesis in my Student years for philosophy and culture, I have now moved at post modernism philosophy on my degree, but I still write movie related pieces from time to time. My most recent was one about nihilism and stanley kubrick. I would really like to do one about the deconstruction of the body in the western media and the east media too.

@@andreijohann1014 your research sounds very interesting! I’ve always thought of Malick as a Heideggerian but that’s a great angle too

Thank you! :)

Neither did I, I was interested in the novel because I knew Malick was inspired by it but it wasn't until I read that I noticed he actually used the material for some of his dialogue in the film.

Donald Neuhaus what great masterpiece of the last 150 years has not being touch by Dostoevsky or Tolstoy?

Such an incredible book. My favorite of all time. Definitely worth the read.

I'm mid-way reading it. It's a great book, what else a better word to call it than "a masterpiece"?

I really liked Malick's "The Tree of Life", but also Gilliam's "Tideland", and Eggers' "The Lighthouse". Like "The Tree of Life" I would call "Tideland" impressionistic, but "The Lighthouse" expressionistic, and beyond that it seems to me that all three carry a sense of constructivism and existentialism.