Angry Brad Pitt. Drunk Sean Penn in the desert. The creation of the universe for some reason. Freaking dinosaurs? Whispering. More angry Brad Pitt. More space stuff. More whispering. Drunk Sean Penn on a beach. Credits. What the f**k was that? Terrence Malick's fifth film in a forty-year career, The Tree Of Life is so self-confident it doesn't seem to care if you like it or not. When it first premiered at Cannes the film received both raucous applause and aggravated boos, the initially mixed reviews predicting its enduring legacy as the century's most divisive movie so far. The u-turn taken by the critical body following the film winning the Palme d'Or, with negative reviews replaced by across-the-board praise once it had high-end endorsement, highlights some of the key issues; it's ostensibly a well-constructed film - the cinematography is an obvious stand-out - but technical proficiency isn't all that's needed to make a masterpiece. The debate so often hinges on whether or not you "get it", but really it is more down to if you think there is anything to "get". Is the film meticulously constructed to provide a fluid look at family, the universe and everything in-between, or is is so vague that you can read just about anything into it? Have we missed any of the 21st century's most divisive films? What film do you think divides popular opinion the most? Let us know in the comments below.
