Review of Tree of Life, The

Tree of Life, The

Rating = B-

I see two ways to look at this production.

First, as an art piece — like a video done by a video artist and shown in a modern art museum. In this light, it is pretty impressive, but overly long (e.g., the creation segment and the heavenly beach segment with its endless-part choral Amen). Nonetheless, the images and the music are beautiful, and the use of only fragments of dialog is interesting.

Second, as a movie. In this light it is self-indulgent to the extent that the director fully qualifies for the characterization of “a wanker.”

[2011-06-24, Cape Cinema, Dennis, MA]