What can a film do beyond telling a story? How can images, sound, and silence make us feel questions we can’t easily put into words? In this Watch & Talk session, we’ll explore the visual language of The Tree of Life, a visually stunning and deeply unusual film by Terrence Malick. You don’t need to know the film, or the director, at all. We’ll approach it gently and accessibly, looking at how cinema can function as art, philosophy, and emotional experience all at once, rather than as a traditional, plot-driven movie.

 

Hosted by Anji, a Cannes-nominated director and filmmaker, this session will break down selected scenes and explore ideas like authorial cinema, the use of nature and cosmic imagery, and the powerful role of sound, music, and silence. Together, we’ll discuss the film’s big themes, family, creation, life, death, and our place in the universe, and how Malick invites the audience to feel these questions rather than answer them. Let's have a thoughtful, open discussion that helps you watch films in a new way, and talk about cinema with confidence, even if you’ve never thought of yourself as a “film person” before.

 

电影除了讲故事，还能做什么？影像、声音，甚至是沉默，能不能让我们感受到那些很难用语言说清的问题？在这场 Watch & Talk 活动里，我们会一起聊聊 Terrence Malick 的电影《The Tree of Life》的视觉语言。这是一部在形式和气质上都很特别的作品。你完全不需要提前了解这部电影，也不用认识导演，我们会用一种轻松、好进入的方式来聊，看电影如何在叙事之外，同时成为艺术、哲学和情感体验，而不只是一个按情节推进的传统电影。

 

本场由戛纳提名导演、电影创作者 Anji 主持，她会拆解电影中的部分片段，带大家一起讨论作者电影、自然与宇宙意象的运用，以及声音、音乐和沉默在电影中所扮演的重要角色。我们也会一起聊到电影里的一些核心主题：家庭、创造、生命、死亡，以及我们在宇宙中的位置，并看看 Malick 是如何邀请观众去“感受”这些问题，而不是急着给出答案。希望这会是一场开放、真诚的讨论，让你用一种新的方式去看电影，也能更有底气地聊电影——哪怕你以前从没把自己当成一个“电影爱好者”。