The Juniper Tree

1990 "A dark tale of witchcraft and mysticism"
6.8| 1h19m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 10 April 1990 Released
Producted By: Keene/Moyroud Productions
Country: Iceland
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

Margit and her older sister Katla flee for safety after their mother is burned to death for witchcraft. Finding shelter with Johan and his resentful young son, Jonas, the sisters help form an impromptu family unit that’s soon strained by Katla’s burgeoning sorcery.

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Keene/Moyroud Productions

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Reviews

Greenes Please don't spend money on this.
ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.
Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible
Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Reinier De Vlaam This movies tells the classic Grimm story of the Juniper tree, a story about a hateful woman with her daughter who comes to live with a good man and his son. The story is slightly adapted for this movie so it becomes less fairy tail and more movie. Filmed in stylish black and white it has a great atmosphereYes, this is a lovely movie but it would have been forgotten long ago if it wasn't for the presence of Bjork. It has all the charm of the Grimm fairy-tale combined with the magical Icelandic landscape, they fit together very well. The acting is however so-so, as are the dialogs and the imagery. Some shots are great but mostly it is very simpleAll in all it is a very entertaining movie, with the charm of (very) low-budget
Anzycpethian This is a truly beautiful movie!I'm a movie maniac AND also a big Björk fan. I got to know this movie only through Björk but I think that it's really great.The movie really feels like a fairytale (it is based on one). The feeling of it is just fantastic, the black & white creates a special atmosphere and I love the actors, not only Björk is grandiose in it! The unique Icelandic accent makes it very special to me (I'm Austrian). The story is VERY sad but at an extreme high artistic level I never expected from this little pearl.It is it really worth to buy it on DVD.Do it even if you like only Björk! You won't regret it. Björk is simply fantastic in it. She creates a huge part of the offered atmosphere. Support this movie, it's a masterpiece and I don't know anything similar to it's unique style.It's not only a fairytale, it's more... enjoy it!And something else: You can hear Björk singing even pretty often in the movie, one more reason to get it!I gave it 9/10 here on IMDb. It's a pity it isn't well-known.If you want to see one the best movies ever check out Dancer in the Dark (WITH BJÖRK). That one is probably the saddest movie I've ever seen. It's HEART RIPPING, so watch out. I think this is the only movie ever that me cry. Lars von Trier created with Dancer in the Dark such a great masterpiece it's nearly unbelievable. And I tell you, that one is really hard and worth gold.Hey, if you enjoyed Juniper Tree and like Björk, let me know please!
buddypatrick 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.
ggdva This movie was quite surprising in its quality and originality. It starts off slow but eventually starts to unravel and become a haunting tale of revenge and witchcraft. Bjork, who was absolutely mesmerizing in "Dancer in the Dark" is very strong in this film as well. She carries the movie as the vulnerable little sister who sees visions of her dead mother and reaches out to the little boy she is living with.