Under the Tree

The humor is pitch black and the characters extremely serious. The movie is hilarious and depressed at the same time. The acting is good for the most part. There are a few scenes where you notice some mistakes but nothing that has a terrible effect on the movie over all. The cinematography was superb, a lot of cool shots that made the movie extra depressed. I was happy with the music choices as well, really put the nail in the coffin with this one.

One happy Icelander after seeing this at the movies. Do recommend 8/10.

Script is amazing.

This movie is beautifully pictured in telling us that when people don't overcome their difficulties they face in life then how these difficulties get to their nerves and ruined their life even more. The problem I had with this movie is why it showed in comedy genre?

Wow! This really is quite something. A dark, tense Icelandic dramatic thriller with a dry comic streak. After an argument with Agnes (Edda Björgvindóttir), Alti (Steinpór Hróar Steinpórsson) is kicked out of their flat. He's caught watching an old sex-tape of an ex and finds the locks changed. So he goes to stay with his parents who are in the midst of a squabble with their neighbours over a tree that's casting too much shade. You'd think the troubled marriage would be the more serious plot point, but you'd be wrong. It uses its humour to great effect, twisting the narrative wonderfully. In fact it feels very close to dry British humour. There's an honesty to it and although it's undoubtably Scandinavian, the muted colour palette gives it that dark gritty British tone. The two plots escalate rapidly with a custody battle, slashed tyres, missing pets, a missing brother, security cameras, suggestive gnomes, chainsaws, it gets brutal... really really brutal. Uncomfortably brutal and although it's quite stark and simple, it takes the viewer to some really unexpected places. Be nice. Talk it out. Otherwise you might regret it.

It's an interesting story about escalation of retribution and misery caused by loss and dishonesty but it is NOT comedy.

Under The Tree will haunt you. But it will only haunt you for the rest of your life.

This is one of my favorite "terrible movies". It is not only a potent parable on the dangers of pettiness, personal entitlement and the place where unchecked grief and anger meet , but it is also a rarely seen (be it morbid) slice of modern Icelandic life.

I simply have not seen a lot of movies come out of Iceland in my lifetime, but most of the ones I have seen, I've enjoyed. Under The Tree is not just good for an Icelandic movie, it's good for a movie.

Pairs well with Antidepressants.