Tree of Life - Why Dinosaurs?
I was clicking around on LAMB (Large Assoc of Movie Blogs) Forums and came across this video review of Tree Of Life by Anders Wotzke.
I agree with what Wotzke says in general and was inspired to answer his question on "why dinosaurs?" I have not yet come across any reviewer who has an explanation for the dinosaurs in this film.
So I am offering my insights here.
In thinking about this seemingly mysterious or incongruous insertion of dinosaurs into this film, I actually found that the dinosaur idea ties the whole film together for me and makes it coherent as long as I leave out the Christian ideas.
For those who haven't seen the film, parts of the beginning consist of gorgeous NASA photos of the universe and Earth.
Then we find ourselves in the forest looking at well-CGI'ed images of dinosaurs.
The photo above depicts a pivotal scene, for me, where the dinosaur in the background threatens a meek dinosaur and puts his foot on his neck.
The emotionality of this scene really grabbed me and I felt the suspense of what might happen next.
The aggressive dinosaur lifted his foot to see what the meek one would do.
The meek one submissively stayed put.
The aggressor seeing this behavior, seemed to feel comfortable enough to walk away, knowing that he had control.
I saw this as an allegory to the introduction of aggressive behavior oppressing those willing to be submissive.
Then the film unfolds in flashbacks.
Jack, played by Sean Penn, looks back on his life as a boy living with his controlling, oppressive, emotionally abusive father, played by Brad Pitt.
The oppressive behavior expressed by his father mirrors that of the aggressive dinosaur.
That's what hit me right away! Why Dinosaurs? from a conspiracy perspective: The kill-or-be-killed attitude is the reptilian mindset that was introduced on our planet eons ago.
It is theorized (by researchers such as Zecharia Sitchin and others) that many different alien races have been on our planet before the beginning of human existence and have tampered with our genetics in good and bad ways.
There is a species of aliens called the Reptilians who many researchers on this subject say have been with us all along and probably before our existence.
Their evidence is all the reptilian animals (such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles and other reptiles) that inhabit our world; and this includes dinosaurs.
It has also been said that our planet is inhabited by people and animals with a lineage from many other planets, hence Earth's great diversity of flora and fauna.
Science says we have a part of our brain called the reptilian brain which is responsible for our fight-or-flight response.
According to alien history researchers, this fight-or-flight mindset is the mindset of the Reptilian Race and not our truly innate mindset.
This dog-eat-dog world was thrust upon us by the aliens who sought to manipulate and control us.
So it could be said that this is the origin of the abuse of power that has been handed down generation after generation.
In the film, Jack revisits his childhood triggered by his father's death and other personal crises.
We get to see how his father expressed this oppressive behavior during his childhood.
We meet his younger brother who expressed a free and gentle spirit seemingly unlike his father.
On the other hand, it could be said that Jack's younger brother expressed the true spirit of his father who was a talented musician, but who chose to suppress that for an acceptable career in manufacturing in the 50's.
The father oppressed himself to fit into society and in doing so frustrated himself.
In his denial of the frustration of his own making, he takes it out on Jack as a child.
We don't know what Jack's father's background was, but I'm sure he was also passing on the abuse and oppression he experienced as a child.
From a spiritual point of view, I see this film as an example of Right Use of Will, a book and concept I've studied on emotional healing.
The book describes how we deny or suppress our own will by denying our emotions.
Here is a good explanation from the website: "Our Will is the feminine aspect in all of us and expresses as emotion, intuition, receptivity and desire.
To whatever degree we have been denying our Will, we have had conditional love for ourselves, and so, also, for others.
We do not then, have our full Heart presence.
Freedom of emotional expression is an important part of our Will's evolutionary path and can lead us to a greater depth of being.
All of the emotions that have been labeled "negative" are a part of what has been judged against and denied in our Will's expression.
A prominent example of this is how often it has been said, "Do you choose love or fear?" Unconditional love would choose both by bringing our fears within love and finding out what they have to offer.
" - http://rightuseofwill.
com/ Jack as an adult seems to come to a crossroads in his life and as a result, he is examining his past.
There are often shots of bridges during his adult scenes.
I don't know if the director, Terrance Malick, intended this meaning, but Jack who is realizing that he needs a change of life seems to be seeing a bridge to another way of being.
According to Right Use of Will, our environment triggers denied emotions in us which gives us an opportunity to enliven or re-integrate a lost part of ourselves.
What concerns us in our environment is ultimately a reflection of whether our emotions are in a state of denial or unrestricted flow.
Jack contemplates the death of his father, the beautiful-looking sterility of his life and his unsatisfying emotional relationship with his wife.
He then starts to revisit his childhood relationship with his father, mother, brothers and friends.
Some memories are stressful and some are quite beautiful and loving.
The film bathes every scene in gorgeous, artful cinematography and beautiful background music, reminding the viewer that they are a witness, as well as offering a visceral feeling to each experience.
At the end of the film, Jack gets to metaphorically embrace those parts of himself that are represented by his mom, dad and siblings.
We see them re-uniting on the beach in the water which is often said to represent emotional life.
Jack also encounters his young self in a desert setting.
Young Jack leads adult Jack towards a bridge as if to offer a way into a new life.
I see this as his inner child symbolically guiding him to greater freedom in uncharted territory.
And in Jack's accepting and embracing his younger self and all his experiences, he has the opportunity to move forward into a new and greater beginning.
This film can seem quite disjointed from the point of view of a traditional plot.
But from an emotional healing point-of-view, it could be seen as an artistic attempt at painting a picture of the healing and evolution of the emotional body and the relationship to cosmic life.
I agree with what Wotzke says in general and was inspired to answer his question on "why dinosaurs?" I have not yet come across any reviewer who has an explanation for the dinosaurs in this film.
So I am offering my insights here.
In thinking about this seemingly mysterious or incongruous insertion of dinosaurs into this film, I actually found that the dinosaur idea ties the whole film together for me and makes it coherent as long as I leave out the Christian ideas.
For those who haven't seen the film, parts of the beginning consist of gorgeous NASA photos of the universe and Earth.
Then we find ourselves in the forest looking at well-CGI'ed images of dinosaurs.
The photo above depicts a pivotal scene, for me, where the dinosaur in the background threatens a meek dinosaur and puts his foot on his neck.
The emotionality of this scene really grabbed me and I felt the suspense of what might happen next.
The aggressive dinosaur lifted his foot to see what the meek one would do.
The meek one submissively stayed put.
The aggressor seeing this behavior, seemed to feel comfortable enough to walk away, knowing that he had control.
I saw this as an allegory to the introduction of aggressive behavior oppressing those willing to be submissive.
Then the film unfolds in flashbacks.
Jack, played by Sean Penn, looks back on his life as a boy living with his controlling, oppressive, emotionally abusive father, played by Brad Pitt.
The oppressive behavior expressed by his father mirrors that of the aggressive dinosaur.
That's what hit me right away! Why Dinosaurs? from a conspiracy perspective: The kill-or-be-killed attitude is the reptilian mindset that was introduced on our planet eons ago.
It is theorized (by researchers such as Zecharia Sitchin and others) that many different alien races have been on our planet before the beginning of human existence and have tampered with our genetics in good and bad ways.
There is a species of aliens called the Reptilians who many researchers on this subject say have been with us all along and probably before our existence.
Their evidence is all the reptilian animals (such as snakes, lizards, crocodiles and other reptiles) that inhabit our world; and this includes dinosaurs.
It has also been said that our planet is inhabited by people and animals with a lineage from many other planets, hence Earth's great diversity of flora and fauna.
Science says we have a part of our brain called the reptilian brain which is responsible for our fight-or-flight response.
According to alien history researchers, this fight-or-flight mindset is the mindset of the Reptilian Race and not our truly innate mindset.
This dog-eat-dog world was thrust upon us by the aliens who sought to manipulate and control us.
So it could be said that this is the origin of the abuse of power that has been handed down generation after generation.
In the film, Jack revisits his childhood triggered by his father's death and other personal crises.
We get to see how his father expressed this oppressive behavior during his childhood.
We meet his younger brother who expressed a free and gentle spirit seemingly unlike his father.
On the other hand, it could be said that Jack's younger brother expressed the true spirit of his father who was a talented musician, but who chose to suppress that for an acceptable career in manufacturing in the 50's.
The father oppressed himself to fit into society and in doing so frustrated himself.
In his denial of the frustration of his own making, he takes it out on Jack as a child.
We don't know what Jack's father's background was, but I'm sure he was also passing on the abuse and oppression he experienced as a child.
From a spiritual point of view, I see this film as an example of Right Use of Will, a book and concept I've studied on emotional healing.
The book describes how we deny or suppress our own will by denying our emotions.
Here is a good explanation from the website: "Our Will is the feminine aspect in all of us and expresses as emotion, intuition, receptivity and desire.
To whatever degree we have been denying our Will, we have had conditional love for ourselves, and so, also, for others.
We do not then, have our full Heart presence.
Freedom of emotional expression is an important part of our Will's evolutionary path and can lead us to a greater depth of being.
All of the emotions that have been labeled "negative" are a part of what has been judged against and denied in our Will's expression.
A prominent example of this is how often it has been said, "Do you choose love or fear?" Unconditional love would choose both by bringing our fears within love and finding out what they have to offer.
" - http://rightuseofwill.
com/ Jack as an adult seems to come to a crossroads in his life and as a result, he is examining his past.
There are often shots of bridges during his adult scenes.
I don't know if the director, Terrance Malick, intended this meaning, but Jack who is realizing that he needs a change of life seems to be seeing a bridge to another way of being.
According to Right Use of Will, our environment triggers denied emotions in us which gives us an opportunity to enliven or re-integrate a lost part of ourselves.
What concerns us in our environment is ultimately a reflection of whether our emotions are in a state of denial or unrestricted flow.
Jack contemplates the death of his father, the beautiful-looking sterility of his life and his unsatisfying emotional relationship with his wife.
He then starts to revisit his childhood relationship with his father, mother, brothers and friends.
Some memories are stressful and some are quite beautiful and loving.
The film bathes every scene in gorgeous, artful cinematography and beautiful background music, reminding the viewer that they are a witness, as well as offering a visceral feeling to each experience.
At the end of the film, Jack gets to metaphorically embrace those parts of himself that are represented by his mom, dad and siblings.
We see them re-uniting on the beach in the water which is often said to represent emotional life.
Jack also encounters his young self in a desert setting.
Young Jack leads adult Jack towards a bridge as if to offer a way into a new life.
I see this as his inner child symbolically guiding him to greater freedom in uncharted territory.
And in Jack's accepting and embracing his younger self and all his experiences, he has the opportunity to move forward into a new and greater beginning.
This film can seem quite disjointed from the point of view of a traditional plot.
But from an emotional healing point-of-view, it could be seen as an artistic attempt at painting a picture of the healing and evolution of the emotional body and the relationship to cosmic life.
Source...