The Tree of Life was a unique movie experience for me. Dr. Balay ended his paper on the tree of life saying something along these lines, "only where wonder grows does the tree of life blossom". The movie seemed to focus on how we make sense of the big questions that confront us. What is the meaning of it all? Why do bad things happen? Do we have to choose between living on the ground or up in cities built in the clouds? (I think I'm stealing that analogy from a Josh Ritter song). Through a mostly visual presentation, the director Terrence Malick takes us on a journey through the lives of a 1950's Texas family who are wrestling with these questions. At the same time Malick gives us a visually striking representation of the evolution of the universe. For me it seemed to serve as a representation of the smallness and insignificance we sometimes feel when we wonder at the expanse of it all. Yet in that expanse there was incredible beauty. It made everything that does happen, seem to be a miracle in itself. This "reflecting on the condition to possibility" (Dr. Balay), seemed to be at the heart of our spiritual growth.
At the end of the movie Jessica Chastain, the mother, lets go of her struggle to make sense of her sons death. She says, "I give him to you". It seems to be an acceptance of the way of nature and the way of grace. Could Malick be trying to show us that the way of nature, and the way of grace, go together? Or is this just meant to be a work of art?
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