“A majestic, spiritually uplifting epic.” - The New York Times
“Malick’s cosmic leap of faith.” - Rolling Stone
Tuesday, September 30, 6:00 p.m. & Sunday, October 5, 12:00 p.m. | Told through inner reflections, whispered prayers, and fragmented memories, THE TREE OF LIFE film follows Jack O’Brian, a middle-aged man living a successful yet sterile life shadowed by longing. Drifting between the personal and the cosmic, Jack revisits his childhood in 1950s Texas, in a family striving for unity yet marked by contradiction, frictions, and loss, caught between the way of nature and the way of grace.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival
Nominee - Best Picture, Academy Award
Nominee - Best Picture, Drama, Golden Globes
Interiority on Screen Lecture Series | Fall 2025
This series focuses on cinematic works that depict the subjectivities and mental states of their characters in unconventional, intimate, and poetic manners. Tuesday film screenings will be accompanied by lectures, where these films will be discussed not only from the standpoint of critical spectatorship but also from a filmmaker’s point of view. Select titles offered with Sunday encores. Tickets for Sunday encores are regular price and do not include the lecture. Presented in collaboration with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Art History, Theory, and Criticism department. Lecturer: Anahita Ghazvinizadeh, Assistant Professor of Film, Video, New Media, and Animation.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu