I had seen both Children of Heaven and Color of Paradise years ago and thoroughly valued them and remembered Majidi as a director whose films touch me. So i brought that background to choosing and seeing The Willow Tree tonight. And i share the respect for the acting and directing that is already voiced here - by a relatively few number of reviewers (as imdb reviews go).
But I write to convey something I felt strongly that no other reviewer seemed to be hit by in the same way.
And here begin the spoilers.
It's been a long long time since I saw a film with such a downward spiral by the chief protagonist that accelerates unrelentingly to the finale. Some might see the very last minute of the film as ambiguous as to whether the protagonist is headed for falling further or rising like a phoenix. I did not see ambiguity nor phoenix-rising; to me it was depiction of a destiny that was a depressing path to witness. (The ant resurfacing in the last shot was surprisingly blatant - my quibble with one directorial choice - but if Majidi wanted that resurrection shot to convey an echo/symbol of a second start, that wasn't a credible hook to hang any hope on in my 'read'; it was more of a blatant bookend to second chances.) Writing a plot in which a chief protagonist descends into bitterness that becomes self-sabotage is a tough watch. Imho.
(I see and highly rate many a film that deals with depressing circumstances, but not in memory with such a straight slide downhill to The End.)
My (much older but close) brother was blind, coincidentally also from age 8, not from firecrackers but from scarlet fever, years before I was born (although he would tell me during 4th of July fireworks that it was the rare thing he could perceive as an awareness of light flashes). And through the first third of the film, I could relate to the protagonist, having grown up myself with braille books and seeing-eye dog as part of family life. My brother never thought of himself as 'handicapped' (he was an Eagle Scout, he made furniture as a hobby, etc) and more to the point he was upbeat - until another medical crisis befell him by the time he was a father of three and stole his life at age 41, way too young.
I share this in part because it may have impacted how i saw the last two-thirds of this film, which i *couldn't* relate to personally from my own life because my brother never regained eyesight - and also never became bitter or self-sabotaging in such a way. Again, it was a tough watch imho.
The film is well made, well acted. I just write to say that it has a far tougher message than, say, Children of Heaven or Color of Paradise.
But I write to convey something I felt strongly that no other reviewer seemed to be hit by in the same way.
And here begin the spoilers.
It's been a long long time since I saw a film with such a downward spiral by the chief protagonist that accelerates unrelentingly to the finale. Some might see the very last minute of the film as ambiguous as to whether the protagonist is headed for falling further or rising like a phoenix. I did not see ambiguity nor phoenix-rising; to me it was depiction of a destiny that was a depressing path to witness. (The ant resurfacing in the last shot was surprisingly blatant - my quibble with one directorial choice - but if Majidi wanted that resurrection shot to convey an echo/symbol of a second start, that wasn't a credible hook to hang any hope on in my 'read'; it was more of a blatant bookend to second chances.) Writing a plot in which a chief protagonist descends into bitterness that becomes self-sabotage is a tough watch. Imho.
(I see and highly rate many a film that deals with depressing circumstances, but not in memory with such a straight slide downhill to The End.)
My (much older but close) brother was blind, coincidentally also from age 8, not from firecrackers but from scarlet fever, years before I was born (although he would tell me during 4th of July fireworks that it was the rare thing he could perceive as an awareness of light flashes). And through the first third of the film, I could relate to the protagonist, having grown up myself with braille books and seeing-eye dog as part of family life. My brother never thought of himself as 'handicapped' (he was an Eagle Scout, he made furniture as a hobby, etc) and more to the point he was upbeat - until another medical crisis befell him by the time he was a father of three and stole his life at age 41, way too young.
I share this in part because it may have impacted how i saw the last two-thirds of this film, which i *couldn't* relate to personally from my own life because my brother never regained eyesight - and also never became bitter or self-sabotaging in such a way. Again, it was a tough watch imho.
The film is well made, well acted. I just write to say that it has a far tougher message than, say, Children of Heaven or Color of Paradise.