I've been hesitant to write too much leading up to Terrence Malick's latest, The Tree of Life.  The film community is understandably excited, you see, because Malick is a cinematic god.  One who has released only four films -- at least three of which are unqualified masterpieces -- since 1973.  Only I don't really know this, because the filmography of Terrence Malick represent a huge gap in my film knowledge.

But the trailer for The Tree of Life was attached to my viewing of Black Swan this weekend.  And it is fantastic.  The gap will be rectified by year's end.

A bootleg of the trailer -- featuring stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain -- has been uploaded to the internet.  Check it out after the jump.

The quality/angle isn't great, and this will surely be taken down shortly, but it gives you a taste of what's to come after of months of anticipation.  And hey, if there's a screening of Black Swan near you, get thee to a theatre.  We'll post the official trailer as soon as it's released online.  The Tree of Life opens May 27, 2011.

Here’s the note Malick wrote for AFM that describes the film:

From the Desk of Terrence Malick….

We trace the evolution of an eleven-year-old boy in the Midwest, JACK, one of three brothers.  At first all seems marvelous to the child.  He sees as his mother does with the eyes of his soul.  She represents the way of love and mercy, where the father tries to teach his son the world’s way of putting oneself first.  Each parent contends for his allegiance, and Jack must reconcile their claims.  The picture darkens as he has his first glimpses of sickness, suffering and death.  The world, once a thing of glory, becomes a labyrinth.

From this story is that of adult Jack, a lost soul in a modern world, seeking to discover amid the changing scenes of time that which does not change: the eternal scheme of which we are a part.  When he sees all that has gone into our world’s preparation, each thing appears a miracle—precious, incomparable.  Jack, with his new understanding, is able to forgive his father and take his first steps on the path of life.

The story ends in hope, acknowledging the beauty and joy in all things, in the everyday and above all in the family—our first school—the only place that most of us learn the truth about the world and ourselves, or discover life’s single most important lesson, of unselfish love.