"The Tree of Life" - A (rather late) Review

"The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. That's the way He is. He sends flies to wounds that He should heal."

If this quote doesn't intrigue you, don't bother with Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life".

I won't try to explain this movie. Mainly because I CAN'T.  Actually, it doesn't matter what I thought of the film.  What matters is how I felt by the time it was over.  And "The Tree of Life" moved me.  By the end of the film I was devastated, moved to tears.  I was confused as hell, too.  But again, that doesn't matter.  To me, anyway.

Now, will everyone feel the same way I do about "The Tree of Life"?  Will they be as forgiving about the film's apparent lack of coherent structure, or will they be as moved by a complex story about something as simple as "A Boy and his Dad"?  Absolutely not.  It's certainly not an easy movie to love, or even like, for that matter.  To me, "The Tree of Life" isn't even a movie.  It's so much more.  

"The Tree of Life" is a 138 minute prayer to The Almighty.  Some prayers are joyful.  Some are angry.  Some question.  Some cry.  Do you have the stomach for such prayers?  I do.  And sometime soon, I'm going to have to "get my prayer on" and watch this film again.

But...not right now.  I'm all cried out.  I'm spent.  "The Tree of Life" is the Important Film I have been waiting for.  Just PLEASE don't ask me to explain why.  I can't.  And I won't.