Oscar Watch: "Tree of Life"

"The Tree of Life"
Directed by: Terrence Malik
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn
Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography

For the best picture category, the AMPAS often chooses varied types of films, from mainstream to arsty to independent, and from varied genres, from animation, sci-fi, westerns, and (rarely) comedy. "The Tree of Life" fits somewhere under artsy/experimental, and it's an odd choice for the academy. I wholly did not enjoy the film at all; it followed the mostly dull life of a child, Jack, growing up in some mid-west state, with a loving mother (Chastain) and a strict but caring father (Pitt). But rather than stick with the story itself, Malik decides to show some admittedly beautiful shots of his interpretation of earth's origins and destruction. And we also saw dinosaurs. If that's not out of context with the film, I'm not sure what is.

The problem with this story is that nothing happens. I am not a big fan of purely experimental, arthouse films. I like films with strong characters and a strong story. Not a film with interesting and weirdly shot scenes (nice cinematography work, perhaps earned its nomination), a rather dull story, and ho-hum characters. The acting here was decent; Pitt was good, as was Chastain. Of note, Chastain was nominated for best supporting actress for her other big film this year, "The Help."Penn mostly rode an elevator before going to a "Lost"-style gathering on a beach at the end.

Overall, I think this film was likely above my head. Because I didn't understand the point of it at all. The AMPAS should've chose something a bit more accessible and meaningful, instead of this artsy nonsense.