The Tree Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

The Tree Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 22, 2012

Screened at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for seven Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Direction and Best Lead Actress, Julie Bertuccelli's "The Tree" (2010) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label France Télévisions Distribution. The supplemental features on the disc include an original theatrical trailer; standard making of featurette; extended and deleted scenes; and a collection of stills from the film. In English, with optional French subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Talk to me

Dawn’s (Charlotte Gainsbourg, Antichrist, Melancholia) world is turned upside down when her husband suddenly dies from a heart attack. While she mourns and tries to recollect her thoughts, her four children take care of their beautiful house.

Soon, eight-year-old Simone (Morgana Davies, The Hunter) convinces herself that the whispers of the giant fig tree in front of the house belong to her late father. She begins talking to the tree and eventually shares her secret with her mother, who also begins playing her game. For a while, balance in the family is restored.

The conversations help Dawn regain her confidence and she decides to get a job. Handsome local plumber George (Marton Csokas, Kingdom of Heaven) hires her to help him with his small store when he is away. As time goes by, the two become attracted to each other.

Meanwhile, the tree begins creating problems – its roots damage the house’s plumbing system and then its foundation. The tree also becomes stubborn and refuses to talk to Simone, who is reluctant to let George be the family.

Things get so bad that Dawn decides to cut the tree in order to save the house. But when Simone learns about her mother’s plan, she angrily declares that this would kill her father’s spirit. The balance in the family is once again threatened.

Based on Judy Pascoe’s novel Our Father Who Art in a Tree, Julie Bertuccelli’s second feature film (her first film was the enormously moving Since Otar Left) is a very slow and very moody piece about coping with the loss of a loved one and learning to live again. These two processes are chronicled from two entirely different points of view – one allowing the viewer to understand the dilemmas Dawn faces as a single mother with little meaningful support, the other giving the viewer the opportunity to experience the sudden shock Simone does.

Immediately after the tragedy Dawn and Simone’s reactions are rather similar. Both temporarily detach themselves from reality and refuse to recognize the obvious – that their lives have been irreversibly changed. Then the tree temporarily fills the void left by the late husband/father and the old balance in the family is restored. This is the most beautiful and moving part of the film because it forces the viewer to think about the little things in life that matter so much but are often ignored.

Shot on location in Queensland, Australia, The Tree looks beautiful. Nature is essentially a key character in it that constantly interacts with Dawn and Simone. Understandably, cinematographer Nigel Bluck (Director of Photography, second unit, The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy) takes plenty of time observing the beautiful Australian landscapes, but the film never bores. On the contrary, the long footage with the panoramic vistas allows the viewer to literally feel the steady rhythm of life.

The cast truly is exceptional. Gainsbourg delivers yet another outstanding performance as the lonely mother and wife who struggles to adapt to life after the death of her beloved husband. More than likely, without her the film would have turned out to be an overly melodramatic mess. The young Davies undoubtedly has a very bright future. She looks notably relaxed and completely believable in front of the camera.

Note: In 2010, The Tree was nominated for seven Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Direction and Best Lead Actress (Charlotte Gainsbourg/ Morgana Davies).

The Tree Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Julie Bertuccelli's The Tree arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of French label France Télévisions Distribution.

The high-definition transfer is beautiful. Virtually all close-ups boast striking detail, while the various panoramic vistas convey outstanding fluidity (see screencaptures # 3, 5, and 7). Contrast is excellent and color reproduction very pleasing. The lush yellows and blues, in particular, are very impressive. There are absolutely no traces of problematic post-production tinkering (sharpening, contrast boosting, etc). Aside from one specific scene where I noticed some extremely light banding, there are no transfer-specific anomalies either. Blown through a digital projector, the film looks remains stable and tight around the edges. All in all, this is a wonderful presentation of a truly beautiful film. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

The Tree Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, France Télévisions Distribution have provided optional French subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track serves the film very well. There are numerous nature sounds that are very effective, while Grégoire Hetzel's music score has plenty of room to breathe. Admittedly, the lossless track is unlikely to test the muscles of your audio system, but it should impress you with its wide range of nuanced dynamics. I personally am far more impressed with lossless tracks such as this one, rather the strong and very aggressive tracks big budget contemporary action films get.

The Tree Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A l'ombre de l'arbre - a making of featurette with comments by producer Yael Fogiel, director Julie Bertuccelli, executive producer Sue Taylor, production designer Steven Jones-Evans, actors Charlotte Gainsbourg and Marton Csokas, and other cast and crew members. In English and French, with imposed French subtitles. (31 min, PAL).

• Scenes coupees - nine extended and deleted scenes. In English, with imposed French subtitles. (21 min, PAL).

• Photo gallery - a collection of stills from the film. (6 min, 1080p).

• Bande-annonce - original theatrical trailer for The Tree. In English, with imposed French subtitles. (2 min, 1080p).

The Tree Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In 2003, I saw Julie Bertuccelli's Since Otar Left at a festival screening and fell in love with it. Her second effort, The Tree, is again a quiet, peaceful and thought-provoking film that solidifies my opinion that she is an enormously talented director. It is a shame that The Tree did not appear on Blu-ray in North America or the UK (Artificial Eye released it only on DVD). As far as I am concerned, this is one of those films that seems to have been made to be experienced in high-definition. If you can play Region-B "locked" discs, at least consider seeing it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.