May 17, 2011 08:16 GMT  ·  By
“The Tree of Life” premiered at Cannes to mixed reactions from audiences, including some booing
   “The Tree of Life” premiered at Cannes to mixed reactions from audiences, including some booing

Brad Pitt is now in Cannes for the film festival, doing promo work for his upcoming film, written and directed by Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life.” The film premiered during the Festival but reaction to it was not equal to expectations, since many booed and walked out of it even before it was over.

The film has been in the making for at least the past 3 years, with Malick being the kind of director that usually takes his time with each new project – which explains why he’s by far the least prolific in Hollywood.

As Entertainment Weekly also points out, this also explains how come Malick’s work is never ignored, prompting the strongest reactions in fans and critics who either love or hate it. There’s no in-between with him.

The same seems to apply to “Tree of Life,” EW says, which got very mixed reactions on its first screening ever.

Telling the story of a ’50-era family at the same time as that of the origins of earth, the film is definitely not commercial, since it requires a lot from audiences, early reviews say.

Perhaps this is why it was welcomed with some boos at the screening.

“It can be daunting to describe Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, but scattered audience members at its first screening in Cannes needed only one syllable: boo. The many supporters of the movie pushed back with counter-applause, but it was a shocking way for the movie to debut,” EW says.

Once word of the booing got out online, Twitter was flooded with comments.

“Yes, some booed at Tree of Life‘s end, but a) far more clapped, b) wouldn’t a monobloc of opinion be dull? And, of course, c) jerks abound,” James Rocchi of MSN Movies tweeted, as per the same e-zine.

“The booing at the end of today’s Tree of Life screening was an ugly, animalistic thing that may explain why Malick doesn’t do press,” Eric Kohn from IndieWire also said.

Indeed, Malick stayed true to himself and avoided talking to the press before or after the screening, leaving stars Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain to do all the work (Sean Penn only came later, to a photocall).

“The Tree of Life” is scheduled for limited release in the US on May 27. Check out the official trailer below.