Comments on: “The Tree of Life” #9 – Questions for Terrence Malick’s Film http://inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/questions-for-terrence-malicks-the-tree-of-life/ Reflections on the Journey in Christ by Christopher Page Wed, 22 May 2013 02:48:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Christopher Page http://inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/questions-for-terrence-malicks-the-tree-of-life/#comment-4448 Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:57:37 +0000 http://inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com/?p=4068#comment-4448 The film “The Tree of Life” certainly moves at a pace different from most Hollywood films. For some viewers this may seem boring, for others it provides an opportunity to enter deeply into the feel and the beauty of the film. It is an evocative film that is not carried along by the traditional mechanisms of narrative and character development. Mallick seems to be attempting to help the viewer open to a deeper reality.

The boy Jack struggled with the conflict between his own inner sensitivity and his experience of violence in relationship to his father. As with all of us, when he was unable to transform the experience of violence in his life, he transmitted it to others, sometimes his younger brother.

The film does not commit itself on the nature of or the reasons for RI’s death. It is possible that his father’s demanding nature caused RI to strive for a level of perfection in life that he found himself unable to attain and this caused him to take his own life. But the film never tells us how or why he died.

Yes Sean Penn plays the role of adult Jack, looking back over his life, struggling with his relationship with his father and trying to come to terms with his experience of life and death.

Hope this helps.

]]> By: Anita huie http://inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/questions-for-terrence-malicks-the-tree-of-life/#comment-4446 Sun, 22 Apr 2012 07:22:42 +0000 http://inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com/?p=4068#comment-4446 Thus was a boring show that was beautiful ti watch but why was jack always so mean to Rl who always forgave him? Yet rl had all the talent that his father loved. So why did rl shoot himself? Was sean penn supposed to be a
GRown jack?

]]> By: jaqueline http://inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/questions-for-terrence-malicks-the-tree-of-life/#comment-2366 Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:01:19 +0000 http://inaspaciousplace.wordpress.com/?p=4068#comment-2366 “Why is the middle O’Brien boy called RL? Why are he, the parents, and the young brother all unnamed in the film? ”

RL = Real Life ?

No-one else is named because it is a universal story which Mallick hopes might apply to all of us.

Jack is the classic fairytale name. Stories slip between and bind together the apparent duality of nature and grace.

Jack is also the diminutive of Jacob…the one who wrestled with the angel.

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