The Basics: First of all, there is nothing basic about this movie. The closest thing to the description this film has is about a Texas family of five struggling to relate and exist together when they are all very different people. They deal with death, fear, growing up, and just making it through a day. However, the story itself is woven into other visuals that make it just a part of what director Terrence Malick is trying to say. If you want something basic, stay away from this movie entirely. But if you're stricken by movies that make you say. "Wait, huh?" then you should rush out to see it immediately with someone and plan to hold a summit afterward discussing what it means. A Method To His Madness? The loose, disjointed style of the story involved both the 1950s version of the O'Brien family as well as the present-day version of their oldest son Young Jack. There are no solid beginning-middle-ends in any scene; they play out more like a merory or a dream does in your head. Therefore, the audience is left with less of a definitive statement about what's going on, and more of an emotional connection to what they see on screen. We drift through scenes, getting a vague idea that Mr O'Brien is overbearing and Mrs O'Brien is very nurturing , and that the children are growing up with a strong sense of how to move around the imbalance between their parents. Now, throw in scenes of Sean Penn wandering around the high-tech modern city, looking like the rug has been pulled out from underneath his soul. Add in a dash of nature shots, including but not limited to magrna, the ocean, dinosaurs, and hillsides... What Does It All Mean? It is very clear that Malick wants us to have a sense of this family as a part of the entire universe. A child frightened at his father's touch is a microcosm of the dark expanse above our heads, and it exists alongside the tides, animals, and even God. It all depends on what you believe, which is why this movie is so interesting. The text suggests that the relationship between Mr O'Brien and his children is  _  .
harmonious tense enjoyable close