The Tree of Life

Terrence Malick's flawed, pretentious, and totally mesmerizing movie tells the story of a God-fearing, small-town family in the '50s and the three boys who come of age under oppressive and emotionally distant dad Brad Pitt. Then one of the kids dies. But that's just the catalyst for this mind-blowing odyssey. If you've ever wondered what audiences were thinking the first time they saw 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968, this probably comes pretty close with its open-ended splendor and wordless beauty. The Tree of Life is Malick's most personal, impressionistic work, a beautiful rumination on life and death and an imperfect but spellbinding culmination of his nearly 40 anguished years as a filmmaker.