THE TREE OF LIFE

Directed by: Terence Malick

Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain

I moved back to Korea ten days before the American release of Terence Malick’s  “The Tree of Life,” and have since spent ever day of summer in a state of prolonged, torturous anticipation. Checking Naver’s movie release date page became one of my daily obsessions, and frankly I was starting to entertain the nightmarish possibility that, like so many other quality films, this one would escape the attention of those mighty beings who choose which movies come out when. Well, the wait is finally coming to an end – its slated for an October 27 South Korean release date, and given the major star-power attached, it will likely come out in most mainstream movie theaters.

I wouldn’t usually write a post about an upcoming film so far ahead of its actual release date, but Malick is no ordinary filmmaker, and from what I hear, “The Tree of Life” is no ordinary Malick film. This is widely considered his masterpiece, a time-bending, universe-sprawling epic, one that took home the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or back in May. Mark your calendars, ladies and gentlemen, only a month and a half to go until cinematic nirvana.