Fig Trees

2009 1h 40m EN

😐

5.0

MID

⭐

IMDB

★5.0TMDB · 2★7IMDB · 56

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

FIG TREES is a documentary opera about AIDS activists Tim McCaskell of Toronto and Zackie Achmat of Capetown as they fight for access to treatment drugs. Documentary interviews, speeches, press conferences and demonstrations are sampled, taken apart, and set to music, replayed this time as operatic scenes. A surreal fictional narrative is intercut with the stories of their struggles against government and the pharmaceutical industry. In this fictional world, Gertrude Stein decides to write a tragic opera about Tim and Zackie and their saint-like heroism. She kidnaps them, transports them to Niagara Falls, and forces them to sing a series of complicated avant-garde vocal compositions. However, when Zackie ends his treatment strike and starts taking his pills, Gertrude realizes that there will be no more tragedy, and thus, no more opera.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Van Abrahams
Christopher Moraka
Zackie Achmat
Christopher Moraka
Stephen Chen
Saint Caesura
Ezra Perlman
St. Martin
Ashton Williams
Nkosi Johnson
Denise Williams
St. Teresa of Avila
David Wall
Tim McCaskell
Deborah Overes
Gertrude Stein

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Greyson
Languages: English
Countries: Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

CRAFT

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jared Raab shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Van Abrahams and Zackie Achmat and Stephen Chen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1351746 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Greyson directs. Jared Raab cuts. Produced in Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
3Editor Jared Raab shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
4Van Abrahams and Zackie Achmat and Stephen Chen carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt1351746 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.