The Tree
Zeitgeist Films | Release Date: July 15, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
13
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJul 14, 2011
The movie is truly a tree-hugger's delight (I confess to being one such hugger) that makes the most of its metaphors without straining toward supernatural schmaltz. Read full review
75
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonSep 2, 2011
The Tree might have suffered from too much symbolism if not for writer-director Julie Bertuccelli's deft touch and Gainsbourg's appealing performance. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaAug 25, 2011
Despite the potential for some supernatural grandiosity, the tone here remains understated and quiet, and Gainsbourg's performance feels lived-in, and deep, and right. Read full review
75
New Orleans Times-PicayuneMike ScottAug 19, 2011
A movie with undeniable melancholy underpinnings, but Bertuccelli wisely avoids overdoing the drama to nurse cheap tears from her audience. Read full review
75
New York PostV.A. MusettoJul 15, 2011
Be warned: The Tree is slow-moving, but if given a chance, it will (pardon the pun) grow on you. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayJul 14, 2011
Yes, the idea that the tree/father is literally tearing this family apart is way too blunt, but Gainsbourg and Davies sell it by playing the scenes naturally, with minimal histrionics. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley MorrisJul 21, 2011
This is an easy movie to watch. If only Julie Bertuccelli had more trust in her most interesting stuff. Read full review
60
EmpirePatrick PetersAug 1, 2011
An eerie and unsettling adaptation of Judy Pascoe's novel that impresses more for its atmospherics than its narrative. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesSheri LindenJul 22, 2011
With her Modigliani mystery, Charlotte Gainsbourg brings aching melancholy to the role of Dawn. As compelling as she is to watch, though, the character's passivity saps the film of energy, especially in its first half, which is all but devoid of tension. Read full review
60
Boxoffice MagazineRichard MoweJul 16, 2011
Stunningly shot by cinematographer Nigel Bluck (Handsome Harry) the film captures beautifully the magic of the foliage and the surrounding landscapes. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsJoe NeumaierJul 15, 2011
Falls short of being revelatory, yet has a mysterious, sturdy power that grows on you. Read full review
60
Time OutSam AdamsJul 12, 2011
The movie's mundane account of moving on is ultimately more gripping than its wooden metaphors. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanJul 20, 2011
A symbol of the lost father, it looms, protects, and also wreaks havoc when a big branch collapses onto the house. Mostly, it's the expression of a movie that's content to stand still. Read full review
55
NPRScott TobiasJul 15, 2011
On a technical level, The Tree marks a significant advance over the humble utility of Bertuccelli's previous film, drinking in Australia's pastoral majesty with an abundant eye for beauty that falls just short of the intended poetry. Yet the characters aren't nearly as resonant. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenSep 29, 2011
Pacing problems and shallow psychological inquiries plague this film almost as much as the overworked metaphor that supplies the film's title. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleJul 28, 2011
I lost patience with a widow who is grieving one month and then making out with a guy in a bar the next. This is an emotional recovery even Hamlet's mother might have found unseemly. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMelissa AndersonJul 12, 2011
In her second film, writer-director Julie Bertuccelli, adapting Judy Pascoe's 2002 novel, "Our Father Who Art in the Tree," is sometimes partial to clumsy dialogue and scattershot pacing. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam LaceyJul 12, 2011
By the time we reach the climactic ending, the script clearly calls for an exorcist with a chainsaw to trim back this metaphor run amok. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerJul 12, 2011
This is one film that's overly reliant on a dubious central symbol, schematically employed. Read full review
40
Total FilmSimon KinnearJan 18, 2015
Initially promising, this Aussie weepie branches unconvincingly into magic realism, with symbolism so clunky it hampers Gainsbourg’s involving turn. Read full review
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