Writer-director Terrence Malick is a man who definitely likes to pace himself. Before this year's much-discussed The Tree of Life, his last film was 2005's The New World. Before that, the last time he made use of his hyphen was on 1998's The Thin Red Line. Before that it was Days of Heaven, way back in 1978. The man put out a movie the year I was born, then didn't don his writer-director cap again until I was two freaking decades old. The guy's practically sticking to a one-movie-per-home-video-medium release schedule. And now his latest has been slated for release as a Blu-ray combo pack this October 11th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.
So, what is The Tree of Life all about, anyway? Well, that's the big question, ain't it? Here's what the press release has to say about it:
Through stunning cinematography and raw emotional power Malick’s hymn to life excavates answers to the most haunting and personal human questions through a kaleidoscope of the intimate and the cosmic, from the raw emotions of a family in a small Texas town to the wildest, infinite edges of space and time, from a boy’s loss of innocence to a man’s transforming encounters with awe, wonder and transcendence.
If you've seen any of Malick's previous films, it should come as no surprise that his latest defies quick and easy summation. Anytime your movie lists its setting as including the "infinite edges of time and space," clearly you're looking to say more than simply, "Thanks for your ten bucks. Enjoy the popcorn." Whatever Malick is trying to say (and you'll have to figure that out for yourself), he certainly made a good impression: Tree of Life currently sports an 85% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and earned four and a half stars from our own Katey Rich.
While I respect Malick's talents, he's never been one of my favorites. My first exposure was The Thin Red Line, which I enjoyed despite struggling with the pacing. It didn't, however, compell me to seek out the guy's back catalogue. The Tree of Life sounds intriguing enough to lure me in. Will it make me a die-hard Malick fan? We'll just have to wait and see.
Any of you hoping for a packed set to help you really dig into the film may be disappointed. While the release will include a 30-minute featurette focused on the making of the film, that's the only bonus feature listed. On the upside, "Exploring The Tree of Life" will include interviews not just with the cast and Malick's collaborators, but with high-profile Malick fanboys such as directors Christopher Nolan and David Fincher.
