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Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critics What's this?

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  • Summary: After the sudden death of her father, 8-year-old Simone shares a secret with her mother Dawn. She’s convinced her father speaks to her through the leaves of her favourite tree and he’s come back to protect them. But the new bond between mother and daughter is threatened when Dawn starts a rea relationship with George, the plumber, called in to remove the tree’s troublesome roots. As the branches of the tree start to infiltrate the house, the family is forced to make an agonizing decision. But have they left it too late? (Zeitgeist Films) Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    Jul 14, 2011
    80
    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.
  2. Reviewed by: Richard Mowe
    Jul 16, 2011
    60
    Stunningly shot by cinematographer Nigel Bluck (Handsome Harry) the film captures beautifully the magic of the foliage and the surrounding landscapes.
  3. Reviewed by: Patrick Peters
    Aug 1, 2011
    60
    An eerie and unsettling adaptation of Judy Pascoe's novel that impresses more for its atmospherics than its narrative.
  4. Reviewed by: Sheri Linden
    Jul 22, 2011
    60
    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.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. It's simply a pleasant movie. Simone, the 8-year-old daughter is a true find. She convinces herself she's happy after her father dies, but when she connects with her late father through the massive tree on her family's property, she defends it to the end with conviction. Charlotte Gainsborgh is always great, but she's a little too "spacey" in this one. It's worth seeing, but moderate your expectations. Expand

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