User Reviews

After the sudden death of her husband, his wife and four children try to get on with life in the bush of Northern Australia. It could be a story overwhelmed by emotion, but yet it play the emotionally side with more subtlety. The family live in an old house with an enormous Morton Bay fig next to it and it's this tree that firstly with the young daughter and then with other family members where they gain the idea that somehow the spirit of their loved one is inside. The film follows the family as they move on, but without forgetting the tree and protecting it at all costs.

Thought the film has a potentially supernatural idea, it doesn't play out that way, in fact it's quite the opposite. The notion that the tree contains the spirit is quite charming and leads to some wonderful encounters for various members of the family. Grief is dealt with in many ways and for these people this is how they deal with it. The cast is very fine: Charlotte Gainsbourg is very good as the mother, she is charismatic and a joy to watch. As is the daughter Simone, played wonderfully by a superb young actor, she really is something, creating a funny, touching and realistic portrayal of a young girl who is dealing with the loss of her Dad. But all the cast is fine creating a truly real feeling to events that occur.

The film also works for it's use of nature. Australian films set outside the city are known for their great use of the landscape and this is no exception. Stunning landscapes and skyscapes fill the screen and there are other wonderful moments including natures creations, such as the fruit bat that flies into the kitchen or the frogs in the toilet and the families attempts to get rid of them. And let's not forget the tree. It is a huge presence in the film, literally and metaphorically and could in it's own way be a character, it is a imposing, glorious and wonderful creation and of course paramount to the story.

The film ends with a bang, but a positive one, a situation that leaves the family or gives the family a chance to move on, it is almost a relief and at the same time quite touching. The film as a whole is a highly enjoyable one, and that doesn't tug on the heart strings with it's story, instead presenting itself with humour, charm and beauty.

Find more of my reviews at my site iheartfilms.weebly.com

Western Australian Sue Taylor is fast gaining a reputation as a "classy" international film producer. Her work with a French production company on The Tree, depicting an international story set against a stunning Queensland backdrop, is first class.

There are unconvincing moments in The Tree but most of this fine film plays it's audience like an instrument in good hands.

Women between the ages of 32 and 65 and who enjoy film for the emotional journey they provide, are going to love this tale. A young mother who suddenly loses her much loved husband, draws a particular crowd. When the passage of grief and redemption is convincing via her sweet family and a new love the afore mentioned audience will attend in droves.

Adapted from the book Our Father who Art in the Tree by Judy Pascoe, The Tree is worthy of its standing ovation as the concluding film at Cannes this year. While the audience I attended with were not as glowing they enjoyed it as much. I think most intelligent film goers will experience, with appreciation the warm message of this film.

An old rule about the supernatural in movies is that they have to be scary. If they're not, there's always a risk the audience gets sleepy or even laughs at the wrong sensitive moments.

That's however not really the problem here. A family father dies from a heart attack, but his spirit moves into a tree, standing in the yard. His daughter can still speak to him and so can his widow, as usual a good performance from Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The conflict arises when the widow finds a new man. That would have been more interesting, if the tree was left out and we instead could follow the jealousy and feelings of betrayal from her children. This is not bad, but the focus is maybe on wrong things.

Filmed in Queensland, this French Australian co-production is a moving family drama that deals with universal themes of loss, grief, and redemption. The film has been adapted from Judy Pascoe's novel Our Father Who Art In The Tree, and follows a rural family struggling to cope following the sudden death of Peter (Aden Young), the man of the house. The recently widowed Dawn (Charlotte Gainsborough) is having trouble coping, and her family starts to fall apart.

Young Simone O'Neill (newcomer Morgana Davies) believes that his spirit lives in the big Moreton Bay fig tree next to their house. She refuses to allow it to be cut down even when its roots and branches threaten to wreck the house. Meanwhile, Dawn finds romance with local plumber George (Marton Csokas), which begins the healing process. However Simone is resentful of his presence and this puts further pressure on the family.

There are a few too many subplots here, some of which are never satisfactorily resolved. The Tree explores some painful emotions, and French director Julie Bertucelli (Since Otar Left, etc) handles the material with a sense of compassion and sensitivity. She draws good performances from her small but effective cast, with young Davies a standout with her prickly performance. Nigel Buck's gorgeous cinematography enriches the film.

A family live in a house too close to an enormous tree. Why? Who knows. (Ironically the father shifts houses for a living).

The neighbours have managed to do the same. Why? Who knows.

A 30 year old father dies of a heart attack. Why? Who knows.

His ghost inhabits the tree and appears to be a selfish jealous spirit taking its anger out on the house and family. Why? Who knows.

A big storm comes. Why? Who knows.

They leave the house and the mother leaves her lover. Why? Who knows. Where are they going? Why? Who knows.

Probably worked as a novel.

What an annoying movie. Spoiler Alert! Wonderful acting with a thin script that didn't really make sense. A mother is catatonic and dysfunctional after her husband dies while her kids cope and move forward in their own ways. When the tree roots of the huge tree outside their house damage their plumbing she meets a nice man who owns a plumbing supply store, hires her to take care of the office and pulls her our of her depression. While the daughter believes the father's spirit is in the tree and the mother and a brother find comfort in the tree, the tree's roots continue to threaten their lives by splitting their water storage cistern. When the new boyfriend comes with a crew to cut it down, the daughter climbs it and refuses to come down. The mother sides with the daughter, loosing the boy friend, and when a cyclone topples the tree into the house, she looses that too. IF she had been an adult and helped her daughter deal with reality, accept death and go forward with life, she could have had a house and probably a new husband. Instead she looses the house, her job presumably and boyfriend, and appears to ride off into the sunset cheerfully. Why was that a good outcome? Her oldest son, who had held the family together while she couldn't get out of bed, was off to college. The daughter was a wonderful actress but she wasn't a wise child helping the mother out of her grief, and the mother didn't help her family. If the tree was a metaphor for the father, his spirit wasn't doing any favors by destroying their home. Good acting, beautiful scenery but pointless story. The mother behaved badly after her husband dies, and continues to behave badly after the tree destroys the house.

Reviews about this film being "universal", about "love and loss", well, they half touch a point, but pretty bland, unimaginative and nothing profound whatsoever. Another had a title such as 'Australian Nature' - good title, but the review said NOTHING of interest, expanding on that. This French woman has done the marvellous work of seeing very deeply into Australia's soul. Maybe as only a foreigner could. As Australia is rightly coined, "The country with Apartheid, but without the name", don't expect an Australian to give credit to a foreigner . . . . . . . . ..................... for understanding their land, better than most Australian's understand it.

Yes, Australia is an extremely tough land. Extremely dry one season, then flooding areas the size of Europe the next. Nature is Australia's wonder and speciality, not really the post-British, neo-Yankee, people. Don't get me wrong, the film shines a positive light on Australians. Trust on them in the hard times, but beware in the good (times). If I'm wrong, (just watch the difficulty of anyone liking this review, particularly parochial Aussies), don't blame me - is the "tall poppy syndrome" a fallacy!? I didn't invent the idea! But more than my personal feelings and reactions to the film; the film maker has brought a unique touch to themes and a story that could be otherwise bland. Just when you thought you were going to experience a purely emotional adventure, bang, a better than "Tornado", people against nature ACTION opens up before you: The Death vs The Tree (it's roots and life force being a symbol of us, dead and alive - hanging on - too much?) vs The Family vs The Climate, (ie. mother nature, we mostly abandon or disrespect her, even, or especially, "country folk"). Re: cuntry folk - live on the land WITHOUT making profit from it, THEN tell me what city people don't understand or give credit to. I LOVE The Country. PS. last cute point - when the girl sees the jellyfish, does that represent potential danger? It's funny when you meet a foreigner who knows about the danger of swimming in Australia, quite unlike a majority of the rest of the world - even where there are safety nets, deadly stingers can get through... Who knows the world knows that ALWAYS people are saying "BEWARE" even when the REAL danger is non-existent, more chance of being hit by a car or lightning. Whereas in OZ, many times, it's the opposite, danger, danger, everywhere, and struggle - look for the parallel in the people too :)

Bereavement happening to a young family is double-edged. In one way is particularly sad. However, the strength of recovery is stronger. This movie takes an intimate unpretentious look at such a family during the year following the tragedy.

The opening scene, almost like a prologue, shows a not-quite-forty-ish couple Dawn and Peter sharing a few intimate moments in a serene evening on a hammock in the front yard of their somewhat Spartan house in the Australian Outback. The next scene, after the title display, shows Peter on his regular job, a short trip hauling a prefab house to whatever destination. Job done, Peter a short way from home is met by 8-year-old Simone (who later in the movie claims to be his favourite child). Upon reaching home, Peter stumbles onto the steering wheel, Simone frantically calls for help and everybody rushes out from the house, to find their loved one beyond revival from a sudden heart attack. All of the above take place within the first dew minutes of the movie.

During the funeral, we find out more about the family of 4 children. Teenage Tim suddenly finds that he becomes the man of the family. Lou is about Simone's age, the natural sibling rival. They accuse each other of trying to gain attention (pretty mature psychology from these two kids) – Lou's cutting his hair short and Simone's climbing up a gigantic Moreton Bay fig tree just in front of their house. Charles is only a little more than a toddler.

Dawn's initial depression is understandable, as is her recovery. While the movie is largely character driven, there are two main plot elements. One is Dawn finding a job as a clerk-of-all-trade in a plumbing store owned by a man named George. Although it is only 8 months after the bereavement, Dawn is after all relatively young. The development of a romantic relationship is understandable, as George is really a nice guy. He I also an ideal father substitute, but there are two problems: it's too soon, and he is NOT Peter. (This somehow reminds me of a recent re-watch of Indiana Jones 4 on TV, when he told the rediscovered Marion that he has had several romantic encounters after her but the women all had the same problem, "They're not you, honey"). While the other kids accept George, Simone is the one that feels so strongly about this that there simply can be no compromise.

The other, titular, plot element is the aforementioned tree that Simone takes to climbing up, talking to, and even sleeping on. She even seems to have convinced Dawn that Peter's spirit dwells in the tree. And it's up to the audiences' interpretation – whether mother and daughter's communication with the tree is a supernatural or simply a psychological phenomenon.

The climatic dramatic conflict expectedly comes from these two plot lines. Mother and daughter's confrontation about George comes to a head. In parallel, the over-growth of the tree has lead to threats on the underground drainage system of the complaining neighbourhood. Its obvious fate seems inevitable.

As mentioned, this movie is after all mainly character driven. The general texture is quietly contemplative. For example, when Dawn asks Tim who is about to leave home to seek his own life if he think that their family is a happy one, the answer from this teenager is typically non-committal, something to the effect that like every other family, theirs is "a bore". There is no negative connotation, but just a motherhood statement that while there would of course be joys and woes, when you live day and day out with your family, life would usually tend to be rather flat. Throughout the movie after their initial bereavement, we share with this family their daily life, sometimes tender, sometimes whimsical, sometimes irritating, always realistic.

Cannes (2009) Best Actress winner, bilingual Charlotte Gainsbourg, as always, is wonderful, and completely convincing as Dawn going through a rather tremulous emotional roller-coaster. Equally marvellous, as Simone, is Morgana Davies, little heard of to-date but does not suffer in any way in comparison with the best of them such as Abigail Breslin or Elle Fanning. Supporting them is a solid, capable cast. Photography and background score are appropriately excellent.