Terrence Malick is one of the most reclusive and mysterious filmmakers in Hollywood. He also might be the best. Malick has only made four feature films in his career, but each of them are perfect examples of quality, natural filmmaking.
Malick’s first two films, “Badlands” and “Days of Heaven,” are considered cinematic masterpieces. His debut, “Badlands,” starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as a young couple on a murder spree, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The WWII film “The Thin Red Line,” which was released in 1998 in the shadow of “Saving Private Ryan,” is beautifully shot and is one of my favorite films of all time.
Not much is known about his upcoming fifth feature “The Tree of Life,” starring Brad Pitt, but a few hints have emerged about its release. Tucked into the end of an article from Variety on the release of “The Runaways," Apparition production head Bob Berney gave some details on Malick’s film.
According to Berney: "Tree of Life" will go out via Apparition this summer or early fall, "with fest play along the way."
While it isn’t much, this little piece of information finally gives at least some idea of when we will get to see this film. News on the project first emerged all the way back in September 2008, describing it as the tale of a Midwestern boy's journey from the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as a "lost soul in the modern world.”
A photo showing Brad Pitt with his family and a 1950's style crew cut also was released, but since then, there hasn't been any news on the project, until now.
A more detailed synopsis for the film has popped up on IMDB as well: "The film opens documenting the origins of life, through the age of reptiles and mammals and then man. Progressively, we are swept through time until the 1950s, where the birth of life suddenly comes to seemingly pointless sickness and death.
"Pointless, that is, to young Jack, who is unaware of all that has led to this point and time, only to arrive to the tragedy he must come to grips with. This is the philosophical thrust of older Jack's struggle to coexist in a world that seemingly has little to no value for him.
"The "tree of life" is the framework of the story, how one thing leads to another, a miracle of growth and evolution, where nature is purposeful, and never random."
Malick’s pedigree as a filmmaker is enough for me to get excited about this project, but I think it has potential to be one of the best films of 2010. The era and style are perfectly suited for Malick, who uses natural beauty and cinematography as good as anyone in the business.
I have a feeling we will be talking about it around this time next year, right in the middle of awards season.
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