The Tree

"Life is a force of nature"

2010 1h 40m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🍅

72%

FRESH

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.5

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 122🍅72%Rotten Tomatoes●58Metacritic★6.5IMDB · 4,730

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The O'Neills lived happily in their house in the Australian countryside. That was until one day fate struck blindly, taking the life of Peter, the father, leaving his grief-stricken wife Dawn alone with their four children. Among them, eight-year-old Simone denies this reality. She is persuaded that her father still lives in the giant fig tree growing near their house and speaks to her through its leaves. But the tree becomes more and more invasive and threatens the house. It must be felled. Of course, Simone won't allow it.

“Life is a force of nature”

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Cast

Charlotte Gainsbourg
Dawn O'Neil
Morgan Davies
Simone O'Neil
Marton Csokas
George Elrick
Christian Byers
Tim O'Neil
Tom Russell
Lou O'Neil
Gabriel Gotting
Charlie O'Neil
Aden Young
Peter O'Neil
Penne Hackforth-Jones
Mrs. Johnson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Julie Bertuccelli
Writers: Elizabeth J. Mars, Julie Bertuccelli
Languages: German, French, English, Spanish
Countries: France, Australia, Germany, Italy

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

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, French, English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: France, Australia, Germany, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Julie Bertuccelli, shot by Nigel Bluck. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Charlotte Gainsbourg and Morgan Davies and Marton Csokas carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Julie Bertuccelli directs. Nigel Bluck behind the camera. Grégoire Hetzel scores. François Gédigier cuts. Produced in France, Australia, Germany, Italy. Dialogue in German, French, English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 16 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: German, French, English, Spanish.
3International production across 4 countries: France, Australia, Germany, Italy.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Julie Bertuccelli, shot by Nigel Bluck. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Grégoire Hetzel. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor François Gédigier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Charlotte Gainsbourg and Morgan Davies and Marton Csokas carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Life is a force of nature".
10IMDB entry: tt1496005 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "beach", "tree", "todesfall", "grief".
12Released under 18 different titles around the world.