"The Tree of Life" Receives Underwhelming Reaction From Audience

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Brad Pitt stars in Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight.

I attended an 11:00 a.m. screening of “The Tree Of Life”
today. With the enormous amounts of media attention the film has been getting,
I figured it best to show up early. By the time I arrived at 9:00 a.m. a
massive line had already begun to form. I overheard the man at the front of the
line say he had been there since 7:00 A.M. Clearly anticipation was high. When
the lights went down for the start of the film, there was immediate silence
throughout the theater. It seemed as if everyone was preparing themselves to be
blown away and have their perceptions altered. But when the film ended and the
credits began, there was no ovation; just mere clapping. And the clapping
wasn’t all that enthusiastic either. It was either disappointment or confusion
that were the cause of this. Perhaps time is needed for the film to take its effect on viewers.

Jimmy Helm