Malick's Tree of Life wins Palme d'Or
The reclusive American director's latest film has been described as "made and magnificent."
The reclusive American director's latest film has been described as "made and magnificent."
Reclusive American director Terrence Malick has won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival with Tree of Life – his first mainstream film in 13 years.
Tree of Life, which stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, has been described by the Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw as “mad and magnificent” –
...like some sort of prototypical spaceship: it's a cosmic-interior epic of vainglorious proportions, a rebuke to realism, a disavowal of irony and comedy, a meditation on memory, and a gasp of horror and awe at the mysterious inevitability of loving, and losing those we love.
One description of the film says its mingles an intimate tale of a 1950s Texan boy’s childhood with nothing less than the creation of the cosmos and the splitting of the cell, via dinosaurs padding through primal forests.
The film also contains magnificent footage of nature at its most beautiful and brutal – massing flocks of roosting starlings, the eruption of volcanoes – and a theological meditation on The Book of Job.
Naturally, Malick was not there to receive the prize – he shuns all publicity and even photos – and left most of the talking to Pitt.
Malick, 67, is best known for his early films Badlands (1973) and Days of Heaven (1978), both of which were critically acclaimed. His other two, The Thin Red Line (1998) and The New World (2005), received mixed reviews and in the case of the latter has hardly been seen.
The Cannes jury, this year chaired by Robert de Niro, has a history of making some wacky choices, none more so than last year’s Thai production Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, which showed to small audiences at this year’s World Cinema Showcase in New Zealand.
In other awards, Nicolas Winding Refn was named Best Director for his automotive thriller Drive starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst was named Best Actress for her role in Lars von Trier’s Melancholia.
Danish director von Trier caused the biggest controversy this year with his comments about Nazism and as a result was declared persona non grata.
Dunst was effusive in her thanks to von Trier: “I want to thank Lars for giving me the opportunity to be so brave in this film. It’s such a special night for me.”
Jean Dujardin was named Best Actor for The Artist (France).