Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2011

At the center of Terrence Malick’s (The New World, The Thin Red Line, Days of Heaven) latest epic is a wisp of a character-based, coming-of-age family drama, buffeted about in a maelstrom of cosmological concepts. The story centers on Jack (Hunter McCracken), the eldest of three boys, as he makes his way from innocence to adulthood. Representing two possible paths through life are Brad Pitt as his stern but loving father and Jessica Chastain as his nurturing but acquiescent mother. Malick has created an uncannily accurate portrait of a 1950s Texas family, and uses these “normal” lives to explain nothing less than All Existence. At one point, he pulls back to a broad, metaphysical view of our universe, starting right from the Big Bang. It’s jarring, but great to look at, and we go back to our family imbued with a new perspective. At least I think that’s what’s supposed to happen. Bottom line, this is another superbly composed, great-looking, admittedly pretentious meditation from the visionary director. It will please critics and the art-house crowd, but viewers favoring less inert storylines may be scratching their heads. It’s a film that’s easier to admire than to enjoy.