Tree of Life completed; rated by MPAA

At this point, any news at all about the status of Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life is reason for cautious optimism. From Slashfilm and RoS we learn that the movie is finished, has been submitted to the MPAA, and officially received a PG-13 rating. It’s noted that troubled distributor Apparition is no longer listed in connection to the film, and the production company Cottonwood Studios is now named. Apparition handled The Young Victoria and Bright Star last year (if handled is the right word), and has since found itself in tight financial straits, recently letting go 60% of its staff and releasing assets including Welcome to the Rileys to other distributors. We wish Apparition the best of luck, but hope even more for Tree of Life to be adopted soon by a parent company able to provide all the best benefits of a solid release in time for this year’s awards cycle.