Terrence Malick

But Terrence Malick can. Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Thin Red Line, The New World, and The Tree of Life all garnered critical acclaim at one point or another, even if in some cases—like with The New World—it took some time before critics reevaluated the picture. Ever since Malick released his film The Tree of Life, which he spent 20 years writing, he has become far more prolific and has released five movies in the decade since....

Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn, the three spoke about the film (in the absence of the notoriously camera-shy filmmaker) as The Tree of Life debuted in much the same way that Malick’s two previous films had: divisively. Many critics stood to applause as the credits rolled while others booed, and that’s what a Terrence Malick picture often is—something that so carefully skirts the line between pretentious and genius, and it’s not always clear where it has truly landed until later reflection....