Tree of Life

His wisdom is profound, his power is vast.
Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?

On The Tree of Life

"Jack's parents represent the film's broader dialectic of what Mother describes as "two ways through life: the way of nature, and the way of grace."

As the stern, business-minded Mr. O'Brien, Pitt represents the way of nature, valuing a competitive, almost Machiavellian approach to life. He's big on the idea of ownership, control, and being a self-sovereign man ("You have control of your own destiny," he says). As the loving, compassionate Mrs. O'Brien, newcomer Chastain embodies the way of grace. She nurtures the kids, cares for them when dad's mad, and is quick to forgive. In parallel scenes of waking the boys up from bed—mother by playfully slipping ice cubes down the back of their pajamas; father by ripping their covers off—we see the contrast clearly."

(McCracken, Christianity Today)