Wonderful Movie

A Disappointing Continuation

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I wanted to yank the stupid out of Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg). As a mother and a wife she needed to step the hell up and get her life together. As an actress, was Charlotte on drugs? It seemed that at each scene she was so detached that we weren't sure if she forgot her lines, or what.It's about time we here in the US get to see some "real" Aussies instead of Jackman and Kidman prancing about. Marton (Csokas) has been up and down the block but still refreshing.I would have rated this lower but I really enjoyed the overall story. Worth a watch but not a buy.Ciao, babies.

Well. I had read reviews of this, and was looking forward to something good. What we got was - well - mediocre, really.Charlotte Gainsbourg has been playing fragile, tense characters for a while, now. Don't get me wrong, she's good at it, but in this film she seems to have been either left without constraints to overact at will, or, worse still, TOLD to act like a gibbering, self centred wreck. (And, yes, I KNOW bereavement is tough, is excruciating, but she just gives up, then goes out to attach herself to another man).On the other hand, Morgana Davies is just amazing. The most natural, real child actress I've seen in years, since Catinca Untaru in The Fall (2006). Just stunningly, amazingly well done.OK, the film is about bereavement, and loss, and as a principle, and as a core and theme, this is certainly carried through, but on the one hand badly, and on the other brilliantly.As to the other characters? Pretty well all of them two dimensional.And, hey, if you can move houses like that, why not move the damn house a few metres down the hill and be done with it?Morgana Davies. One to watch. Definitely.

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.

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