The Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is a movie directed by Terrence Malick, and it premiered in 2011. This film talks about vast ambition and deep humility, attempting no less than to encompass all of existence and view it through the prism of a few infinitesimal lives. The director wants viewers to understand that they are a part of the creation narrative — a cosmic narrative that is theirs. The movie explores the origins and meaning of life via a man's childhood recollections of his family living in 1950s Texas, mixed with visuals depicting the origins of the known cosmos and the emergence of life on Earth.

The film uses characteristics of modernism. For example, it leans toward the avante-garde and formalistic side of film structure, experiments with traditional and classical Hollywood style format, uses stream-of-consciousness techniques to bring the viewers into the mind of the characters, and explores conflicts that are ambiguous.