Tree of Life

Grace versus Nature, Spirit versus Flesh.
The beginning of time and the end of time.
The problem of evil and suffering.
Our finiteness.
The existence and nature of God.
The human condition.
Pride and Ambition.
Love.
Revelation.
Redemption.
Beauty and Glory and our response:
Wonder or Ignorance.
Life from start to finish.

It's been a long time since I was completely taken in by a movie, able to stay awake first of all, but then also love what I see and think about it incessantly after. I was trying to think of the last time it happened in this way: perhaps with The Wrestler or Silent Light. It's been too long.

But it happened last night with Tree of Life at a film night with some friends. The film was stimulating and the discussion was rewarding.

It's not a perfect film, but it's safe to say I've never seen anything quite like it (although now that I look back at my response to Silent Light, I feel like I'm repeating myself!), and for all of its grandiose ambition (see the exhausting list above), I'd say it ends up succeeding. Plenty to think about, plenty to discuss, plenty to see.

I'll stop there because A) I need to watch it again before saying much of anything more coherent and B) if you plan on watching it, the less you know the better.