Terrence Malick's visually captivating 2011 Oscar nominated film Tree of Life was one of the most divisive films last year. You either really loved the elusive Malick's undeniably beautiful, ambitious, grandiose filmmaking or you were completely bored and frustrated by it. (What in the hell were those dinosaurs doing there?) How you felt about Tree of Life, which a close friend of mine once accurately described as, a "really great three-hour screensaver" will likely dictate how you feel about the celebrated director's latest effort, To The Wonder.
While the trailer doesn't give much away about the actual plot of the film (which played to mixed reactions at both the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival) the resemblances to Tree of Life are undeniable: a soothing voiceover speaking in broad, inspirational quotes about the mystery of life set to a sweeping score (here, Javier Bardem as a priest), very attractive people in very beautiful settings soaking in and pondering the mystery of life (here, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, and Olga Kurylenko), and, of course, trees. Watch:
To The Wonder arrives in theaters on April 12, 2013, but still have to wait to see the open fields and beautiful rays of sunlight he'll put in the path of Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Natalie Portman, and Lizardman.
[Photo credit: Magnolia Pictures]
More:
Natalie Portman Joins 'Tree of Life' Director Malick's Next Two Films
'The Tree of Life' Sprouts On Blu-Ray/DVD
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