Sunday, December 11, 2011

My Best of 2011


The year is coming to a close and lists abound.  Best of 2011, in every conceivable category.  Hands down, the best experience I had all year from any artistic offering… Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life.

I watched the first two-thirds of this movie, literally, on the edge of my seat.  It pulled me in and took me to places I can’t even begin to explain.  It contains one of the most poignant characterizations of fatherhood I’ve ever seen; it somehow covers the entire history of life but still captures what it means to be uniquely human.

If you have ever

-          wondered about birth
-          thought about death
-          contemplated the universe
-          remembered childhood
-          missed your parents
-          been afraid
-          received love
-          marveled at nature
-          felt alive

this movie will make you feel something.

And if it returns to your local theater for Oscar build-up, I urge you to see it.  It’s an experience you won’t soon forget, unlike any film I’ve ever seen. 

1 comment:

  1. The Tree of Life is an amazing film, a meditation on love and loss. Strong performances too. The Moldau is a powerful musical theme. I think Terrence Malick lost two brothers, which may explain why the film is so emotionally evocative.

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"As soon as we express something, we devalue it strangely. We believe ourselves to have dived down into the depths of the abyss, and when we once again reach the surface, the drops of water on our pale fingertips no longer resemble the ocean from which they came...Nevertheless, the treasure shimmers in the darkness unchanged." ---Franz Kafka