For the man who Christian Bale once referred to as “an unusual and rare bird”, an apparent 30-year-old dream has finally come to fruition with The Tree Of Life.

Malick’s film premiered in Cannes this year after it failed to make an appearance at last year’s festival. The reaction was typically mixed, but there was considerable praise for the personal epic. After being postponed several times, the movie should finally be arriving in UK cinemas on 8 July 2011.

So, will Tree Of Life become Malick's defining work? Well, when even the film’s trailer is a thing of heart-stopping beauty, you know you’re in the presence of something truly extraordinary...