The Tree of Blood

Being accustomed to US movies, I thought this was a good way to present a family story, and a number of love stories. The psychological evolutions were interesting, and there were elements of intrigue. Good story and acting. What more could you want?

With a lot of branches and a lot of secrets ... and a lot of timelines too. You may wonder from time to time or start the guessing game (as to where this is heading), but it will still have surprises along the way. It will also have nudity and violence on full display.

So if any of this is offensive to you - you might want to stear clear from this. Certain things have to happen and the going back and forth (no pun intended) serves the story well. The acting is good and if you are into mystery you will cherish what this tries and achieves to do. Solid as a rock and another example of a good thriller coming from Spain

This gripping tale moves with fast intensity to weave a complex story, uncoiling to reveal the details that allow the joining of dots, just as the characters themselves unearth and share the family secrets which create the big picture. Vivid characters are played to the core with operatic emotion in their playful journey of self and mutual discovery. Story, settings, languages and and stunning fiming cover distinct regions of Spain to ultimately unite them in their viscerally connected way. This film is larger than life, totally gripping and needs several rewatches to gather up all the whirlwind strands - a carefully crafted and unique offering.

So dense, so overcrammed with stuff, is the movie The Tree of Blood that it could serve the needs of a soap opera for at least a year.

Written by director Medem in collaboration with one Scott Page-Pagter, it's full of melodramatic materials treated in a rather unmelodramatic way. The movie spans the length of Spain, from the Costa Brava to Pais Vasco, the land of the vacas on a collision course with the land of the toros. I already wrote a long review that somehow got snuffed by the browser before I could press Submit. I'm not going to summarise the plot again, not just because I'm vexed at losing my first draft, but because one can hardly keep track of everything that is tossed into the mix of this movie, even after multiple viewings.

Suffice to say, The Tree of Blood has all the themes, all the elements of classic Medem, so if you know his stuff you'll probably feel this movie is a sort of artistic summation, but not necessarily the summit of his artistry. Realistically there's far too much, but on the plus side it sure ain't boring. Just a bit too busy, ping-ponging from one crisis to another.

I'll tell you, there are doubtless many reasons why a viewer might be reluctant to revisit a movie, even one they liked. Perhaps because of one tough scene, or a plot twist that spoiled things, or just because it is too exhausting an experience to want to go through it all again any time soon. How often could you sit through The Passion of the Christ, for example? Once a decade. In this case, an overdose of sex appeal is the sticking point. Actor Joaquin Furriel, in the role of Olmo, is so hyper-masculine he scarcely appears human, more like a werewolf in a man costume. He's matched by the unbearably hot Ursula Corbero, playing the role of Rebeca; adult Rebeca, I should say, since there is also baby Rebeca, six-year old Rebeca, young teen Rebeca, all different actresses. Corbero flaunts a body that offers both enlightenment and despair to the wondering (wandering) eye of the spectator. After such knowledge what hope?

The movie has a massive complication of details, scenes, events, plot points, all tangled together like the roots of the tree, all separated like long hair brushed before bed, all arranged to make a picture like tiny pieces of colour in a mosaic. The construction, the visual beauty, these things make Tree of Blood successful. But what actually happens is pure, mad, melodrama. Melodrama, eroticism, mystery, magical realism, all thrown together to make some kind of crazy punch drink. Take a shot of it and you'll be spinning.

A peculiar experience. A movie in which politics is self-consciously avoided but immorality and criminality, and of the most repugnant kind, are not only embraced but excused. It's an invigorating movie, packed with incidents, but in another way it's appalling.

Yet another great Spanish movie. It provokes you to engage in the storyline emotionally. The plot follows the pace of the events, which just overtake you. Crucial and underestimated subjects are discussed (or not) as secrecy, sacrifice, devotion, sense of duty, decency. It was a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts. The amazing thing is, it embraces you to feel and think along the movie. You are allowed to create your own opinion, through your perspective, there are no boundaries, no villains or heroes. Just people following their intuition and feelings. The realism of it, contrasts the surrealism of the events, without the one overshadowing the other. I didn't find it slow. Each character was allowed enough screentime to be understood completely. I admired the metaphors, the symbolism, the use of tradition and its impact on peoples' insticts. That's what European cinematography is about. Amazing movie. Investment of time.