The Last Tree

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

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.

Powerful coming of age drama about the early life of a Nigerian immigrant who returns to his birth mother after a childhood with a caring foster mother.

Act1. At the beginning of the film 'Femi' is a young black child to a very caring white foster mother, he seems happy and happy at school, his friends are mostly white as well. He learns that his birth mother is visiting, but we soon discover that her intension is to return to London with him.

We see that his new home is in a squalid tower block and he's struggling to fit into the environment and his new school. His 'new' mother is stern and has very little time for him. Femi resents the move, and the atmosphere between them is continuously tense.

Act2. The child is now a much older teenager, most of the film focuses on this part of his life. He's in his final year and his exams are fast approaching. He fits into the environment, he has a circle of mainly undesirable friends, and has caught the attention of the local king-pin drug dealer, who begins to groom him into his operation. Femi is struggling with what appears to be an unfamiliar black culture.

Act3. Femi visits Nigeria with his mother, his father is a wealthy pastor. He has several servants, his home is a palace. We see that he has a new family. So there is no reconciliation or reunion. Unfortunately Femi is emotionally rejected for a second time.

This has been compared with 'Moonlight', but I can't see why. The only similarity is that the plot is split into 3 acts, but that is where the likeness ends. The Last Tree is a much grittier drama with some very strong emotional performances.

Highly recommended.

'The Last Tree (2019)' is certainly coloured in shades of 'Moonlight (2017)', taking inspiration from that award-winning flick in its story, structure, aesthetic and, even, final moments. It isn't some kind of 'rip-off', though; the similarity between the two texts is, essentially, circumstantial. This piece has its own distinct identity, telling a tale that's often left untold in a relatively bold and stylistic way. Sometimes, the very 'indie' nature of the production becomes rather evident. There are some movements in which the generally good performances aren't quite as refined as usual and a few directional choices don't pay off as well as you'd expect. Still, the film is typically confident and compelling. The narrative does feel kind of 'basic', I suppose, but it also touches on some themes that are rarely touched upon at all - such as the effect, and even existence, of shadeism, for example. Occasionally, it does accidentally conflate race with class and perceived quality of life, but I suspect that writer-director Amoo is just trying to reflect the world as he sees it and he's not wrong for doing so. The protagonist's journey is believable and engaging, providing several genuinely enjoyable scenes. There are times when it evokes the kind of nostalgia that seldom fails to tug at one's heart. Of course, it has its share of nastier sequences, too. Everything is quite subtle, relying on a gritty, realist tone that makes even the mundane seem impactful. Towards the end, the movie takes a slight detour and the pacing really slows. The content of this finale is good but it just feels 'tacked on', in a way, and takes you out of the flick's flow. It's not a massive deal, though. The experience is entertaining at large and succeeds in what it's trying to do. It's not brilliant, as it never reaches the levels of impact needed to glue you to your seat, but it's good enough. It's a decent effort. 6/10

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.