Well, the Cannes elite can breath a heavy sigh of relief. **The Tree Of Life **has now officially been seen, chewed over and digested by the festival denizens. The consensus? A little from column A, and a little from column B: some found it breathtaking; some breathtakingly dull.
We think you should make up your own mind. If you're not one of the lucky Cannes few, and are anticipating it as much as we are - regardless of any naysaying - here's a new clip to enjoy. As is Terrence Malick's way, there's little concrete to grasp hold of. Emmanuel Lubezki's gorgeous camerawork and lighting, a sensory sheen, Alexandre Desplat's rousing score and Brad Pitt listening to the beating heart of his unborn child and, well, not much else.
But then it's mood not plot that interests Malick. The storyline, such as it is, involves Brad Pitt, his wife (Jessica Chastain) and their young son, who grows up to be Sean Penn, lucky chap. It's a treatise on life, the universe and everything. And yes, 'everything' must by definition include dinosaurs. Click here for a trailer refresher.
After a gestation of several moons, The Tree Of Life (and accompanying raptors) will finally be arriving/drifting philosophically into a cinema near you very soon. Okay, quite soon. We think.