The Juniper Tree

"A dark tale of witchcraft and mysticism"

1990 1h 19m IS

👍

6.9

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.9TMDB · 94🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes●86Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 2,685

DramaFantasy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Margit and her older sister Katla flee for safety after their mother is burned to death for witchcraft. Finding shelter with Johan and his resentful young son, Jonas, the sisters help form an impromptu family unit that’s soon strained by Katla’s burgeoning sorcery.

“A dark tale of witchcraft and mysticism”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Björk
Margit
Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir
Katla
Valdimar Örn Flygenring
Johann
Guðrún Gísladóttir
Mother
Geirlaug Sunna Þormar
Jónas

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nietzchka Keene
Writers: Nietzchka Keene
Languages: English
Countries: Iceland

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 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nietzchka Keene, shot by Randolph Sellars. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Larry Lipkis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Björk and Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir and Valdimar Örn Flygenring carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A dark tale of witchcraft and mysticism".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nietzchka Keene directs. Randolph Sellars behind the camera. Larry Lipkis scores. Nietzchka Keene cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Iceland. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 79-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Nietzchka Keene, shot by Randolph Sellars. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Larry Lipkis. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Nietzchka Keene shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Björk and Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir and Valdimar Örn Flygenring carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A dark tale of witchcraft and mysticism".
9IMDB entry: tt0138545 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 94 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "fairy tale", "brothers grimm", "iceland", "witchcraft".