The Last Tree

People have compared this to Moonlight but I thought Moonlight was a lesser version of Boyhood, The Last Tree by comparison stands alone as a more thoughtful musing on the nature of identity, the struggle with being black in Britain (in all it's shades), and the nature of manhood, masculinity, and authority. Femi's struggle to find an identity that fits him is something that truly resonated with me and his threat to spiral into a life of violence is something all too real. I also really appreciated his visit to his homeland at the end, and a sense of connecting with something wholly alien and yet familiar at the same time. The writing was a tad spotty but the ability to engage in both timeless and timely themes, dealing with a segment of British society undervalued and underrepresented made this a truly moving picture.

Yes it's slow, in the sense of no big explosions or high drama, but it keeps it's footing and draws you into the deeper story. A story of a young boy growing into a man and the trials and tribulations he goes through to get there. He starts off in an idyllic countryside setting, lots of friends, lots of fun outdoors, a loving Mother figure helping him learn right from wrong. His birth Mother comes to visit him and tells his foster Mother that she is working hard to get a place for herself and her son. This hits the Foster Mother hard, she loves the boy she has raised thus far and his real Mother is mostly unknown to him. His Mother comes to bring him to London, into a whole new world of strange food, strange home (with extra responsibilities), and no friends. It's the story of him trying to navigate drug dealers, bullies, and bad influences to come out with his self respect intact. I loved it. It's not for everyone maybe, but it was awesome to me. Very heartfelt and uplifting. It's a hard world he is thrown into, and don't we all know it!

A promising start, good acting from most of main players however the film loses its way in the middle part. Has some good moments, I can see why most people are comparing it to Moonlight. Still a good watch but could've better.

Not the worst film of 2019 by any means, but not really anything too special either. There are even some shadows of "Moonlight" (2017) in this, but overall it is a fairly pedestrian tale of a dislocated lad's adjustment - not very straightforwardly - from his peaceful, fostered, life in rural Lincolnshire to the new, busy, and more aggressive urban surroundings of a London where he struggles to integrate readily. He must adapt to the pressures and temptations that brings, some of which compromise his decent and responsible upbringing. Visually, it is quite impressive and Sam Adewunmi certainly shows promise as "Femi", but otherwise it is a little too predictable and maybe could have done with some more potency in a dialogue that does rather follow the trammels.

A quiet and contemplative coming of age story that steers clear of "big" moments, with a focus more on the intimate and every day, The Last Tree is an impressive calling card for director Shola Amoo and lead actor Samuel Adewunmi.

There are many beats of Tree that feel familiar, outsider finds themselves in new surroundings, coming of age dramas and racial prejudices are all found here and are by no means wholly unique in their existence but Amoo's carefully considered telling of Adewunmi's Femi's trials and tribulations growing up in London with his Nigerian birth mother Yinka, after a seemingly idyllic childhood in the laid back countryside, is a film that appears to come directly from the heart.

Beautifully filmed and captured, when we first meet Femi as nothing more than a carefree member of a "wolf-pack" of youngsters, roaming the farmlands of their homes and caring little about the colour of skin or cultural differences we are very much caught in the spell of Femi's life, a life that is uprooted in stark visual and vibe contrasts when he is moved to London, a city far less welcoming to the love and nurture his come accustomed to in his early years.

From here Tree takes on a more generic storytelling arc as Femi battles to keep his head in school mode, while he battles relationship issues with his mother and the lure of a life of crime with local petty criminals who promise him brotherhood and financial gain should he care to join them in their way of life.

The tropes that are covered off in this time-frame of Femi's life don't create much in the way of surprises or unexpected plot turns but despite this and the fact we aren't always allowed access into Femi's subconscious and thought processes, Amoo's film is engaging throughout, highlighted by a strong finale that doesn't provide hard answers, but displays much with merely a simple hug or letting loose of one's inner torment by an animalistic yell.

In many ways the film's final section is representative of all that has come before it, a story that never feels the need to tell us everything or showcase every beat of its characters as it goes along its way, a film content with allowing its audience to discover its debatable intricacies for themselves as we get an insight into the nature of growing up around a society that doesn't always make it easy.

Final Say -

A strong independent offering that suggests its young director and star are ones to keep a very close eye on, The Last Tree is a polished human interest drama that is worth hunting down.

3 ½ blue braids out of 5