Saturday, May 28, 2011

'The Tree of Life' Raises Questions about Bible Narratives


“The Tree of Life” has been lauded by many Christians for carrying Biblical themes, yet at the same time it divides believers for that very reason.

What exactly do the themes mean? What does a 1950s devout Christian family have to do with the dinosaur era and an influx of a symphonic celestial intermission?

The impressionistic film – starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and newcomer Jessica Chastain – opens with a quote from the book of Job and the death of a woman’s son. We don’t really know yet who dies but the pain and suffering transcends even in the absence of dialogue.

The mother who loses her son questions her faith in God. Just as Job was tested, would she renounce her faith in God amid her suffering?

The universal question ultimately becomes: why would God allow bad things to happen to good people.

The movie continues with flashbacks of her oldest son’s past where we get to meet his father, who seems to show little emotion over his son’s death.

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Related article: The Tree of Life

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