The Juniper Tree

Katla and her little sister Margit must flee their hometown after their mother is stoned to death for witchcraft. Katla's spell to find a husband nets them a new place to live, but comes with the emnity of the new husband's son. An independent American film shot in Iceland, the Juniper Tree is a beautiful interpretation of the brothers Grimm story of the same name. Fine performances, good costumes, and stunning landscapes bring this tale to life.

Margit (Björk) and older sister Katla leave their home after their mother is stoned to death for witchcraft. Katla casts a love spell on farmer Jóhann. Jóhann is helplessly spellbound but his son Jónas refuses to accept her.

It's black and white. It's Icelandic. It's brooding. There is no pale-faced death playing chess but there is some weirder stuff. I don't know what the black hole is meant to be. The movie misses an opportunity to start with a more visceral intensity by showing the stoning and the sisters being chased by the angry villagers. Of course, I stuck with this mostly for Björk. She has an intriguing charisma although her acting has limitations. This is what one can expect from an Icelandic black and white movie about death and witchcraft.

This is a movie for those who are really deep into art-films and I cannot ascertain whether they will like it or not. Yes the movie is well directed and the cinematography is also good.The shots of the landscapes are somewhat soothing too. However I really wished that there was something more to this film.

The Juniper tree is a tale based on whether or not witchcraft exists, and its also based on a tale by the same title written by the Brothers Grimm. It's a pretty nifty little movie, unknown by many, found by only Björk fans most likely, but its really good, and a great insight into Icelandic living. In fact, it was Bryndis Petra Gradadóttir who told director Nietzchka Keene that this movie captured pure and realistic Iceland culture.

Its a film about two daughters who flee their homeland after their mother is stoned and burnt for being a witch. Margit (Björk) and Katla (Bryndis Petra Gradadóttir) find a man by the name of Jóhann (Valdimar Örn Flygenring) and casts a spell on him that will make him fall in love with Katla. Jónas (Geirlaug Sunna Þormar), the son of Jóhann gets suspicious that Katla is a witch, and thinks Katla is trying to destroy the everlasting spirit of the deceased mother to Jónas spirit inside Jóhann. Meanwhile Jónas befriends Margit, and Margit is seeing visions of her mother's ghosts. Trust me, if the names were like John and Beth it would be a lot more coherent than what I just wrote.

Performances from the entire cast are great, well not astonishing but good enough for such a low budget film. Björk, Bryndis and Jónas particularly do great performances, of course the lovely Björk is a little weird in this movie, but isn't she always in real life too? So there is no difference between reality and this film when it comes to Björk's personality. Which is funny, because when asked about this she says it was much of a dream because she was just two weeks after pregnancy with Sindri, and her "out of it" self at the time works well with her character of Margot. So her character is somewhat incidentally made into a mysterious young, kind hearted witch because she was so deluded at the time.

It is also really well written, not so much the pacing but dialogue and characters are well placed in the film. I like the simple lines used when the entire cast has conversations with one another, as they are simple and atmospheric lines, and Björk does a great job on making her sad lines sound as they are supposed to "She didn't mean to hurt him, let her go" which is pretty eye watering.

The tale, in a way, ends in tragedy, but it doesn't leave you completely bleak. It is a confusing movie, it took me three viewings before I completely understood this film, but I love it either way. It's a bit muddled mainly because we as the western world are so unfamiliar to such culture and witchcraft like this. Either way, the movie is very good and works well with what it orbits around.

Although this is a quite film and its only recognition is Björk, it is a great movie, although will bore some with it's slow pace movement, but it is a very beautiful country it is filmed in, Iceland, and deserves everlasting shots on such a wonderful country. I highly recommend this film to anyone who likes Björk, because whether or not you're bound to like it with her acting.

I find it sad that the only recognition this movie gets is Bjork's

involvement in it. While I do admit that she's an asset to it (she

looks peculiar and is talented), I also think that the movie has

qualities of its own.

The eerie mood of the film is heightened by a lot of silence and a

slow pace. Put that against a rocky landscape in black and white,

and add a beautiful raw score, and you get a nice result. I wish it

were a little longer. The setting (architecture) and costumes really

take the viewer to another time and place.

I definitely recommend this movie, keeping in mind that it's not an

action movie, nor a horror movie. It's full of earth and soul.