What a film means to you kind of depends on where you are in life. I think if saw this film 20 years ago, I probably would have hated it. Now, I'm faced with big decisions - whether to start a family, and all the concerns that come with it. This movie raises issues I'd rather not think about. I almost wish I hadn't seen it. If you're looking for escapist Hollywood fare, the film might seem boring. It plays like a movie where nothing happens. The first third of the film, the director puts you into the head of a mother who has lost a child. Yeah, it's pretty heavy. And most of the rest of the film is of the kids growing up. The film is a meditation, more heavy on emotion than story. And it's more of a spiritual/religious film than a traditional drama. There is little dialogue in the movie. The imagery is compelling, though. Some of the imagery is surreal and dreamlike - and yeah, dinosaurs make an appearance in the film. But it's not Jurassic Park. I wrote down a quote from the film: "The only way to be happy is to love. Unless you love, your life will flash by." I wouldn't have given a second thought to that if I were a 20-year-old. But I'm older now, and this suddenly means something to me. It's definitely not an upbeat feel-good movie. And to be honest, I probably wouldn't recommend it to my friends and family, even though I couldn't stop watching it.

The Tree of Life is not only a movie, but an experience. It's a visually stunning, deeply moving and perfectly acted film. And if you know what to expect, you may enjoy it as much as I did.

But be warned. The Tree of Life does not have a linear narrative, and doesn't tell a story as much as it shows it. And the regular viewer--that is, most of us--, used to be told in images and words what we are supposed to see and feel, may find this story hard to follow.

The movie starts with a flaming light and a quotation from the Book of Job: "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation...while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

Then we are shown a woman (Jessica Chastain) as she learns in a letter the death of her son, age 19. In her grief and despair, enhanced by the absence of sound in the subsequent images, the mother questions God's design in such a seemingly cruel act.

From here, the movie proceeds in two alternating levels. One shows the creation of the universe, the gathering of dust that made the planets, the apparition of microscopic life, scenes from the time of the dinosaurs and the destruction of most life on Earth as a consequence of a meteor hitting our planet.

In another level we are shown images from the life of a contemporary middle aged man (Sean Penn): his birth in the 1950s to a loving mother (Jessica Chastain), his growing up in Texas under a strict father (Brad Pitt), his rebellion as an adolescent and his relationship with his two younger brothers. The second, the one he is closer to, will die later at 19 as we learned at the beginning of the movie.

The story unfolds in pieces and bits, the way our memory works: some scenes from our past are vividly clear while others are lost. The overall picture that unfolds is both that of a unique human being and an universal story.

If the movie sounds dreadfully boring, it's my fault. The Tree of Life maybe slow but it's never boring.

So, in conclusion, if you want an adrenaline rush, a fast moving thriller or a light comedy, don't watch The Tree of Life. But if you want to take a break from a too stressful life and step in a world made out of memories and dreams. If you are ready to be moved and awed and inspired, then this movie is perfect for you.

What I can't understand is actually the fuss surrounding this film. People aren't just confused by it, they're acting offended by it. Apparently audiences in a lot of showings were yelling at the screen and snapping at people who tried to shush them. This movie was unusual, but I don't get what caused people to be so actively offended by it when they can sit through most movies, ambitious or otherwise, without any real problem. Is it the norm in our culture now to react to unexpected or strange images on the screen by getting angry and yelling? Could I just go out on a limb and say that if you leave before a film's over or spend the entire time yelling at the screen, I have no respect for your opinion of the film?

Chimps parading as people aside, I at least enjoyed the movie. I saw it late in its run so I never had to worry about an audience yelling at the screen.

I'm the kind of person who's patient. If a movie confuses me I don't flip out or start yelling and ranting; I sit it out. So that's what I did with this movie. I tried my best to see what Malick was doing, because I think it's pretty obvious that such a respected filmmaker would have seen at least some reason for making this movie.

First of all, there's one major reason why this film isn't for everyone and it's not one I've heard anyone else mention:

The film, from top to bottom, is extremely musical. I mean that in many ways, but let me be clearer: The father in the family the story focuses on wanted to be a conductor and dropped off that career path in favor of a secure job. The soundtrack is all very carefully-chosen classical music.

And if you zoom out far enough, the overall structure of the film is actually a very musical one - you could almost see it as some insane variant on sonata form. It's hard to describe, but visual themes resurface at various times in the film in ways that feel very similar to recapitulations in music.

As I said; not for everyone. I picked up on this stuff, but I'm a musician. I loved it.

As far as the images of dinosaurs and the cosmos interspersed in it, my impression was that Malick was trying to show cycles of creation, longing and destruction in frameworks other than those of humans. As I saw it - and this is up for debate - I read the movie as showing a very eastern sort of philosophy; one that involves a sort of reincarnation or continuation beyond the lives and deaths of individuals, species, or even planets.

Call that pretentious if you want, I thought it was done very nicely, though, and I'm very decidedly buying it as soon as it's out on DVD.

Also, I don't get why people bothered yelling at the scenes of the cosmos. If you didn't get it, I still think it was some of the most beautiful visuals I've seen in a film in a really long time. Relax. It's pretty.