ABSTRACT
Though Terrence Malick’s diverse cinematic career spans a number of decades, his work over the last fifteen years or so has manifested a noticeable interest in religious ideas and themes. For instance, The Thin Red Line (1998) utilizes the Guadalcanal Campaign of World War II as a backdrop for ruminations on eternity, sacrifice, and theodicy. Similarly, The New World (2005) explores the nature of love and the ever-present tension between creation, creator, and creature. And yet, it is The Tree of Life (2011) that most clearly exhibits a desire to engage theological issues, particularly from within the traditions of Judaism and Christianity. Its title is taken from Genesis 3:22-referring to the source of immortality from which Adam and Eve are forbidden to eat after disobeying God-and it opens with a quote that sets the stage for the film’s many questions: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? . . . /When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4, 7).2
