Under the Tree

Under the Tree details the violence and chaos that ensues after neighboring families battle it out over a large tree, with the movie also follow Atli (Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson) as he attempts to reconcile with his girlfriend (Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir’s Agnes) in the wake of a sudden breakup. Filmmaker Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson delivers a promising opening, revolving around Atli and Agnes’ split, that gives way to a somewhat underwhelming midsection rife with uninvolving, unbelievable sequences, as Sigurðsson, working from a script written with Huldar Breiðfjörð, proves unable (or unwilling) to transform any of the battling neighbors into three-dimensional figures – which makes it exceedingly difficult to work up an ounce of interest in or sympathy for their ongoing disagreements. (This is especially problematic in the case of Edda Björgvinsdóttir’s Inga, as she comes off as an unconvincingly nasty individual with few plausible behavioral traits.) It’s clear, then, that Under the Tree is at its best when focused on the comparatively engrossing exploits of Steinþórsson and Jónsdóttir’s respective characters, to such an extent as one can’t help but wish that Sigurðsson had jettisoned the other stuff and focused purely on the pair’s trials and tribulations. Any such good will is completely and totally obliterated by a third act that includes, among other things, the mean-spirited murder (and stuffing) of a family pet, which certainly ensures that Under the Tree‘s closing stretch is unable to make the impact that Sigurðsson is obviously going for – thus confirming the movie’s place as a fairly useless drama with little of interest to say.

* out of ****