The Chinese are brought up to believe that you should be silent in class. The teacher speaks, and you just listen and absorb what they say.

In 'Tree of Life,' the cinematography records a small story, a celebration of the courage of everyday life. But it does it so up close and so effortlessly that it has the effect of elevating the intimacy of the story to a grand scale.

Most people think of cinematographers as choosing subjects of an epic nature to show off what they do - big, sweeping images of war or pageantry.

Caleb Deschanel Quotes