“A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees,” per William Blake. Ain’t that the truth! Although listed by barely half of the 95 participating voters, Terrence Malick’s polarizing Tree of Life sits comfortably atop the 2011 Voice Film Critics’ Poll. Part Brakhage, part Tarkovsky, part Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang, Malick’s cosmic family drama handily outpointed its expected challenger, Lars von Trier’s Melancholia (#3), as well as the surprise runner-up, Asghar Farhadi’s Iranian courtroom drama A Separation (#2), while Malick himself crushed bad boy von Trier as best director. Read more…