tree of life

To take with lots of caution though.

Peter Hammond is reporting a few small details about the film that come by way of Berney, i.e. the guy releasing the film. So take them with a certain informed caution, since the guy has a vested interest. These details are small and verging on hearsay, but bear with me. It’s a slowish news day, and this is a movie about which I know a lot of people are keen to know more.

Berney said at the Independent Spirit awards that Tree of Life would see release in the beginning of November, and is “very likely to show up in Cannes.” (Emphasis on ‘very’ is Hammond, not me.) He’d previously given that November date to Anne Thompson as well.

Hammond reports that Berney says Tree of Life is “like a dream and Malick fans are going to be extremely happy.” Berney compares Brad Pitt to Robert De Niro in This Boy’s Life, which is not really what I expected to hear. He also highlights Jessica Chastain, who plays Pitt’s wife, as a performer to watch out for.

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We’ve been bringing you release updates on Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life over the last year because that’s all we’ve got on it. There are some vague plot details involving Brad Pitt and a story which “centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence.” But it’s cryptic and no one really knows much about it because Malick is so secretive, but it looks like we now know when we’ll all be able to experience Malick’s newest film in all of its glory on the big screen. Apparition pres Bob Berny told Anne Thompson (via The Playlist) that Tree of Life “is definitely set for release in November.”
As for the claim from January of this year that The Tree of Life might be premiering for the very first time at the Cannes Film Festival in May, it was rumored a little while back that it might not make that premiere and will hit later on. However, Berney says a November release “doesn’t mean it won’t be ready for Cannes,” but it sounds like they don’t expect to make a big splash there because they’re unsure if Malick will be done by then. At least we know it’ll be ready by November and it could hit some of the later festivals like Toronto even if it doesn’t show up at Cannes.

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This is about the evolution of a young man (Brad Pitt) in 1950s Midwest to his disillusioned adult adulthood. We trace the evolution of an eleven-year-old boy in the Midwest, Jack, one of three brothers. At first all seems marvelous to the child. He sees as his mother does, with the eyes of his soul. She represents the way of love and mercy, where the father tries to teach his son the world’s way, of putting oneself first. Each parent contends for his allegiance, and Jack must reconcile their claims. The picture darkens as he has his first glimpses of sickness, suffering and death. The world, once a thing of glory, becomes a labyrinth. Framing this story is that of adult Jack (Sean Penn), a lost soul in a modern world, seeking to discover amid the changing scenes of time that which does not change: the eternal scheme of which we are a part…

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Terrence Malick’s epic The Tree of Life has been (and still is) a long time coming, as most all Malick films are. Luckily, this one appears to finally be poking its head above post-producive waters, courtesy of distributor Apparition, which seems intent on keeping the indie art film alive all by itself (they distributed films like Bright Star and The Young Victoria last year. Hell even Boondock Saints II), with Tree of Life and Kristen Stewart-led The Runaways next year.

In this article, Apparition’s leader Bob Berney gets excited about Malick’s new undertaking and a possible Cannes premiere: “There’s also no hiding Berney’s enthusiasm when he speaks about Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, due in the fall of 2010. Noting that the filmmaker, in spite of having directed only a handful of features, is a cult figure who has been a favorite at Cannes (Malick was named the fest’s Best Director in 1979 for Days of Heaven), Berney is eyeing a Cannes slot to premiere the much-anticipated Brad Pitt/Sean Penn starrer.”

Read more/discuss. Thanks to Sandra.

Ok, that’s sort of a trick question as it’s probably debatable whether there is a “plot” to Terrence Malick’s “Tree Of Life” — though there will be many heavenly pretty shots of ladybugs landing in the palms of children’s hand, lovingly inspected with curiosity and awe — but French composer Alexandre Desplat, who wrote the score, just “revealed” more plot that anyone part of the cast ever has.

“It’s a deep story about love, how you transmit love, through your family; from the parents to the children. And the evolution of mankind… since the creation. Heavy things, but with everyday life things. That’s one of the great ideas that Terrence has been working on. We see a family in the ’50s in Texas in their everyday lives, but there’s more, of course, connections to the big picture.”

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