A photograph of Terrence Malick filming Days of Heaven.

While The Tree of Life has a tangible plot, Malick shows much more on screen than the events that occur in Jack's life. The film is clearly an aestetic piece that includes shots of nature, flickers of light on a dark background that are assumed to be God, and voiceovers resembling prayer. Approximately twenty minutes into the film, a creation sequence follows the earth being formed from the Big Bang to the dinosaurs. Near the end of the film, adult Jack walks through a wooden door frame onto a beach and reuintes with his entire family in their younger states. Just as Malick has included the beginning of the world, he concludes with what can be interpreted as some kind of rapture.

The film's fantastic elements are left to interpretation because of the elusiveness of the director. According to the New York Times, Malick is a "recluse" who hasn't given an interview since the 1970s (Dennis). In fact, while he did attend the Cannes Film Festival, he did not appear on stage to accept the Palme d'Or award the film won.

However, we do know that The Tree of Life is loosely autobiographical. Malick himself grew up in Texas in the '50s, had religious parents, and his brother died at nineteen years old. Therefore, we can assume that Jack's struggles somewhat reflect Malick's own experience. The aesthetics, then, can be interpreted as Malick's embodiement of his spirituality and religious views.

In the same New York Times article, Brad Pitt states that Malick has "a strong belief in God but also in science." Accordingly, the film exhibits both sides of the religious spectrum through the creation scene as well as Jack's story. Malick's acknowledgement of these different views contributes to the universality of the film.