Movie Review: The Tree of Life

One of the most agonizing experiences in life is crying out for meaning in the face of suffering and loss of innocence – and getting no answer from God or the universe. In the face of silence to our questions, what gives meaning to life? Terence Malik’s The Tree of Life tackles this most profound of questions.

Set in the 1950s, we follow Jack, one of three brothers, as he moves from the marvellous innocence of childhood to the loss of that innocence following his troubled relationship with his father (Brad Pitt), experience of sickness, suffering, and death, and into adulthood (Sean Penn) as he works in a competitive concrete jungle business world where the self is the only thing that matters.

The Meaning of Life is a very unusual movie. The narrative is minimal and much of the 2 hours and 19 minutes consists of impressionistic cinematography around our universe and on our earth. The experience of the story’s protagonists are almost overwhelmed by the vastness of the universe’s history from its birth to its death – once again not told in linear form but rather in frenetically wonderful glimpses that are thematically related and which build to an experience of awe-fullness in which human life is reduced to near triviality. The overall experience of the film is one of meditation and humility as Jack struggles to answer the big questions of human existence. An answer is provided at the end of the movie – there is a meaning to life – but depending on your current point of view, you may or may not agree with it. I won’t reveal it here because it will have more impact if you discover it in the ambiguity of this stunning meditation.

Many Christians provide inadequate and insipid answers to the why questions when it comes to suffering. They appeal to nonsense like ‘God has a plan for your life’; ‘This was meant to be’; or ‘We will understand the meaning of our suffering in heaven’. All of these are inadequate and, for many Christians who cry out to God in their darkest moments, become downright offensive when there is no response from God to our cries – a God that is supposed to love and care for us. It may be that this film provides the answer – whether we are Christian or atheist, religious or secular.

The Meaning of Life is definitely not a mainstream film. Don’t go to see it just because your favourite film stars are in it – you’ll be disappointed. When it was shown in an Italian cinema over one week, the first two reels of the movie were accidentally switched and no one noticed – attributing the result to the director’s editing style. In some American cinemas, signs were posted warning cinema goers ‘about the enigmatic and non-linear narrative of the movie – following some confused walkouts and refund demands in the opening weeks.’ (IMDB) That should give you an idea of the nature of this film. As one reviewer has described it, The Tree of Life is a ‘total sensory immersion’ film.

But if you are willing to immerse yourself in an almost unfathomable meditation that takes patience, courage, and perseverance to survive nearly 2 and a half hours of ambiguity and slow exploration, there is much to be pondered. The Meaning of Life reminded me of the book of Job in the Old Testament (the movie opens with a quote from the book) – except The Meaning of Life proffers a different answer and one which may be more satisfying to some. Near the beginning of the film, we are told that ‘there are two ways through life, the way of nature, and the way of grace, and we have to choose which way to follow’. If you dare to experience a completely different type of movie – go and see it and make up your mind which way you will choose.

Positive Review
'There is simply nothing like it out there: profound, idiosyncratic, complex, sincere and magical; a confirmation that cinema can aspire to art.' – Ian Nathan/Empire

Negative Review
'Glibly put, this challenging time-skipping rumination is the big screen equivalent of watching that "Tree" grow.' – Roger Moore/Orlando Sentinel

Content Advice
Thematic material

AUS: PG
USA: PG-13

Technorati Tags: The Tree of Life,meaning of life,suffering

Book Review: The Australian Book of Atheism

I've read a few books written by atheists in the last few years and have been mostly unimpressed with them. Some have been so dismissive of theism, often with unnecessary and disrespectful amounts of cheap sarcasm and insults, that they have lost my respect for them. Some have not demonstrated any accurate understanding of theism and others have made poor use of theistic sources in their critiques. But The Australian Book of Atheism is a whole different matter. It is respectful, intelligent, scholarly, and (mostly) objective.

Edited by Warren Bonnett, The Australian Book of Atheism is a collection of papers roughly categorized into themes and written by prominent Australians who are all atheists. The first section presents an overview of atheism in Australia. This section consists of three chapters covering a brief history of atheism/atheists in Australia and discussions of the relationship of atheism to the Australian Constitution and the law.

Part 2 offers the reader six personal perspectives on atheism which make excellent reading for anyone who genuinely wants to understand why many people see theism as impoverished and have chosen to reject claims in god, gods, God, or the supernatural.

Part 3 focuses on education and discusses the role and relationship of religion in education, up to date exploration of the controversial presence of chaplains in public schools, issues around evolution and creationism, whether intelligent design "theory" can be considered science, and a comparison between philosophy and theology.

The next section turns its attention to social and cultural issues such as the challenge of fundamentalism, debates on euthanasia and abortion, an argument for gods being human invention, the rise of "spiritualism" in modern culture, and social attitudes to death and dying. There's a particularly interesting chapter on the so-called Progressive Christianity movement.

Section 5 focuses on the political with an outstanding, wickedly funny, but profoundly serious argument as to why "God is a bloke". There is a highly informative chapter on the role of the Exclusive Brethren sect in Australian politics - something that many readers may know little, if anything, about. There is also some important material on why a secular society would ensure religious (and other) freedom rather than one based on religious grounds.

In Section 6 a number of writers explore philosophical issues including whether there is a basis for morality without God, atheism as a spiritual path, the creation of meaning in the absence of a belief in God, and the relationship between religion and violence.

The final section explores the biological basis of religious experience in a careful and scholarly manner. Finally, there is a brief appendix that outlines the financial cost of promoting religion in Australia through taxes and other government allocations of money.

I've outlined the contents of The Australian Book of Atheism to give an idea of now wide-ranging this collection is. And even then it only scratches the surface of possible topics! In my view, this book is essential reading for theists and atheists alike for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is an excellent example of good quality writing on a highly contentious topic. It is engaging, scholarly, respectful, honest, and stimulatingly provocative.

Secondly, Christians would benefit from hearing atheists speak for themselves rather than, as so many do, consume apologetic material against atheism which frequently casts atheists as evil, "of the Devil", or, at best, completely ignorant. The contributors include those who have always seen themselves as atheist, some who have converted from some form of Christianity, and some who have never been faced with a moment of choice because of their upbringing. A Christian reading this book would be hard pressed to construe atheists negatively. They might even realize that atheists can have a strong sense of moral obligation, and live happy and meaningful lives. So, if nothing else, a Christian who courageously decides to read it despite possible warnings from their spiritual leaders will gain a more accurate picture of what many atheists really think and believe.

Thirdly, I'm sure that many atheists will find much of benefit in reading this volume. For some it will provide reasons for strengthening a commitment to atheism and a framework for developing a moral framework based on rationalist/humanist grounds. It will also provide insights into the status of religion in Australian life and culture. And, perhaps more importantly, it provides a wonderful example of good conversation with others about beliefs.

Christians reading this review will undoubtedly wonder why I haven't criticized the book for its rejection of God as a real being. How can I be so positive about a book that strikes so deeply at the heart of a Christian world view? There are a number reasons in addition to the above:

1. It's a very good read! While some may fond patches of dryness, there's enough variety of writers and writing that everyone will find something of interest. And the writing is good writing.
2. Other (Christian) writers have written tomes of material arguing against atheism and for theism. I direct the reader to those if they wish to read arguments against the ideas in this book. But be careful - apologetic material varies hugely in it's quality and rigor.
3. One of the things I find most offensive is Christians arguing against positions they are ignorant about. In my opinion, a person who wishes to criticize another position should earn that right by demonstrating they fully understand that position. From my perspective, reading The Australian Book of Atheism would be a good start if a Christian wants a good, reliable introduction to atheist thinking.

Do I have any criticisms of the book? Not really. I'm a bit uncomfortable with the contribution by Tanya Levin, the author of People in Glass Houses, who seems to have a chip on her shoulder (judging by her own book and interviews I have seen of her). Sometimes emotion seems to overshadow objectivity. But this is a very minor criticism. And for some readers outside of Australia, there may be some irrelevancy given that much of it addresses the Australian context. Overall, The Australian Book of Atheism is an excellent addition to the dialogue on religion and atheism.