danielm’s review published on Letterboxd:
I'm convinced there's a Malick gene. Some have it and some don't. Some watch one of his films and are so moved they can barely speak and others watch the same film and can't believe they wasted all that time. This review is for those that have it or at least want to discover if they have it.
Every single frame of this film is beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen another film where the director didn't have to go with a utilitarian shot here and there for the sake of the plot. Not here. It's almost like looking at a long string of exceptional photographs. That's really the first thing that stands out about this film.
Then there's Malick's patented silences and soft sorrowful voice overs that always make you feel like every sadness that can be doled out has poured right through these people. Don't look for them to be overwritten though. His voice overs are always written with startling simplicity to capture a moment, a feeling, a glimpse of a life-thread. And that's all here, too. In spades.
Some feel that his desire to make a beautiful film distracts from his ability to make a good film. That's not an unreasonable argument, but to me, the beauty is part of the story, it is as much the film's motive as the story. What Malick attempts (and largely succeeds at) is to elevate film beyond storytelling to a place of pure experience. You don't watch a Malick film so much as experience it. The experience here was so overwhelming that I had to pause the film occasionally just to regroup. I sat in silence for an hour after finishing it. I'm still not sure what to say about it.
If you think Michael Bay is a genius, then this probably isn't for you. But if you want to experience film in a totally different way, then Tree of Life is a good place to start.