A story capturing my mind: although most of the audience in the cinema were laughing a lot and the two user comments I found in IMDB both claimed it was a funny movie, I found it rather sad. It is about the anger of a man who cannot handle his personal tragedies and decides to challenge the most powerful man in the village with no reason. The events eventually lead to an inevitable tragedy. The striking motif of self-destruction in this movie is similar to the one that exists in the Balkan and beautifully presented in some Kusturica movies, so despite the Irish environment, the director's (Goran Paskaljevic from Serbia) origin is clearly felt.
15 Reviews
Colm Meaney - WOW!
neadar22 August 2002
Well the main reason for seeing this movie would be to see Colm Meaney at his best. During the 1st 10 minutes of this film I was quite irritated by what I thought was another shamrockery and begorrah script. But once you get past that, its a very well acted, well-shot film. The humour was very dark though. Some in the audience were laughing while I felt like crying. I suppose the humour is open to your own interpretation. Overall a very sad story though.
A good film of the absurd
who-315 September 2001
I had the pleasure of seeing the world premiere of this film at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is a wonderfully funny movie with a great performance by Colm Meaney.
The script borrows from a Chinese story, but is placed in Ireland. The film is well-paced, beautifully shot, and includes wonderful performances by all involved.
The script borrows from a Chinese story, but is placed in Ireland. The film is well-paced, beautifully shot, and includes wonderful performances by all involved.
Forgiving everything but the grudge
kmk-312 February 2002
There is much laughter from the audience for this wonderful film, but the laughs gradually become uneasy and scarce as we realize this charmingly presented tale is not a comedy but a little tragedy, after all. The ineffable Colm Meaney (as Harry Maloney) gives the performance of a lifetime as an ignorant but sly peasant farmer who happens to be Irish, but could be any nationality. The story is from a Chinese source; a multinational cast and crew underscore the point. Think Balkans; think Chechyna; think Quebec; think Alabama -- rural places where people have hated others for so long no one knows why. It's a classic tragic tale: Harry entangles his family and neighbors in his web of anger and revenge for imagined slights because he really can't do anything else. The skies and hills are stunningly beautiful, and every detail of the film is pitch-perfect. Go, be charmed and laugh, but be prepared to stop laughing when the sadness of these lives overwhelms you. A fine movie!
When is a feud not a feud?
arthurdaley6918 August 2010
When it's all in your head! I found this a bit of an odd movie but I liked it more then I thought I would after the first 10 minutes - 'How Harry Became a Tree' stars Colm Meaney, Cillian Murphy and Adrian Dunbar. It's a 'funny tragedy'.
Typically Irish but could easily be transplanted to any nation or any era I imagine. Harry (Meaney) causes a feud when there is no reason for one and entangles his son (Murphy) and locals in a web of deceit and while he plots revenge for many imagined slights.
I am Irish and 'How Harry Became a Tree' is set in 1920's Ireland. I always fear that movies set in Ireland in this era give a very bad picture to foreigners about the Ireland of today.
There is of course a world of difference between then and now but sometimes Hollywood doesn't seem to have copped on to that - 'Leap Year' being the most recent paddywhackery schtick I can think of.
I think 'How Harry Became a Tree' would have been a much better movie if the writer / director / producer etc etc had been brave enough to set it in contemporary Ireland.
Typically Irish but could easily be transplanted to any nation or any era I imagine. Harry (Meaney) causes a feud when there is no reason for one and entangles his son (Murphy) and locals in a web of deceit and while he plots revenge for many imagined slights.
I am Irish and 'How Harry Became a Tree' is set in 1920's Ireland. I always fear that movies set in Ireland in this era give a very bad picture to foreigners about the Ireland of today.
There is of course a world of difference between then and now but sometimes Hollywood doesn't seem to have copped on to that - 'Leap Year' being the most recent paddywhackery schtick I can think of.
I think 'How Harry Became a Tree' would have been a much better movie if the writer / director / producer etc etc had been brave enough to set it in contemporary Ireland.
A Buried Jewel
rdhad26 October 2006
As an American, it took me a bit to get used to the language of rural Ireland in the 1920's, but this film draws you into a world that seems not at all foreign after a while. Unlike the relentlessly depressing "The Field", this is a drama of real tragedies - the small, silly tragedies that we create and that are created for us- and also, of real hope. The original Irish title of this film "How Harry Became a Tree" is so much more fitting than the US "Bitter Harvest" (what were they thinking?), though fortunately the brilliant allegory of the tree is not lost with the title change. Performances are universally outstanding and poignant, the photography beautiful, the music haunting. See this film and see how the Irish continue to astonish with their mastery of language and vision.
Oddly charming parable
PeachHamBeach22 July 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the most unusual comedy-dramas I've seen in recent years. It seemed to have a simple and no-frills premise, and then I learned it's because the film is based on a Chinese story. Harry Maloney (Colm Meaney, always a wonderful presence) is a widowed farmer who grows cabbages. One of his sons died sometime back, and then the wife died. All that remain to him are his little cabbage farm, a dreary house and an astonishingly beautiful yet socially awkward son, Gus (Cillian Murphy). One day at the local pub, as the entire town celebrates the recent birth of a baby, Gus falls in love at first sight with a new girl in town, Eileen (Kerry Condon).
All of life's blows have left Harry a hard, soured, downright crazed man, and Gus usually gets the worst of Harry's daily tantrums. Harry isn't physically abusive, but he is distant, cold, shrill and often emotionally domineering, and Gus is submissive, alienated and lonely. With his own agenda in mind, and believing it will be a cure-all for Gus, Harry arranges a marriage between Gus and Eileen. Unfortunately, Harry had to ask the cooperation of Eileen's boss, George O'Flahtery (Adrian Dunbar) a man, for reasons unknown, is Harry's sworn enemy. They are only too happy to profess their hatred for each other in words, and later, in pranks.
The main plot is how Harry strives time and again to knock his enemy down. Every time something comes up, Harry sees it as an opportunity to "get" George, but always, something spoils the effect. Harry becomes crazier and more irrational every day, making life unbearable for Gus and Eileen, who, because of Harry's effect on Gus, are having their own marital struggles. It's a very interesting, an unfortunately for me, familiar character study of how one family member can drive the others into their graves with his insanity. Harry's life is so empty and meaningless, his obsession for revenge so huge, his personality so unpleasant, that it's impossible to like him...almost (Meaney is just too delightfully demented!). His effect on his son Gus is very interesting: Gus is so intimidated by his father that he can barely function. The Gus character is described by some as "dim" but I didn't see any mental deficits. I saw a kid who is trying to survive living with an extremely intolerable father, not knowing how to deal. Once Gus is married though, he begins to display surprising strength when he defends his wife against Harry's vicious tactics.
I think any fan of Colm Meaney or Cillian Murphy would love this very unusual dark and charming film!
All of life's blows have left Harry a hard, soured, downright crazed man, and Gus usually gets the worst of Harry's daily tantrums. Harry isn't physically abusive, but he is distant, cold, shrill and often emotionally domineering, and Gus is submissive, alienated and lonely. With his own agenda in mind, and believing it will be a cure-all for Gus, Harry arranges a marriage between Gus and Eileen. Unfortunately, Harry had to ask the cooperation of Eileen's boss, George O'Flahtery (Adrian Dunbar) a man, for reasons unknown, is Harry's sworn enemy. They are only too happy to profess their hatred for each other in words, and later, in pranks.
The main plot is how Harry strives time and again to knock his enemy down. Every time something comes up, Harry sees it as an opportunity to "get" George, but always, something spoils the effect. Harry becomes crazier and more irrational every day, making life unbearable for Gus and Eileen, who, because of Harry's effect on Gus, are having their own marital struggles. It's a very interesting, an unfortunately for me, familiar character study of how one family member can drive the others into their graves with his insanity. Harry's life is so empty and meaningless, his obsession for revenge so huge, his personality so unpleasant, that it's impossible to like him...almost (Meaney is just too delightfully demented!). His effect on his son Gus is very interesting: Gus is so intimidated by his father that he can barely function. The Gus character is described by some as "dim" but I didn't see any mental deficits. I saw a kid who is trying to survive living with an extremely intolerable father, not knowing how to deal. Once Gus is married though, he begins to display surprising strength when he defends his wife against Harry's vicious tactics.
I think any fan of Colm Meaney or Cillian Murphy would love this very unusual dark and charming film!
Badly written movie
Aristides-221 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Perhaps the problem with this movie is the fact that the director is a Serbian filmmaker. Or that the co-writer is his wife. It could be that his Balkan background was ill equipped to adapt a Chinese story to a 1920's Irish village. (Maybe the multi-national money people behind this project insisted on using Ireland.) Whatever the reason, when you name your leading character "Meaney", portray virtually all the characters in a realistic style and then have the main character turn into a tree, then you've got a melange that sinks under the woven strands of too many stylistic ideas.
I would also like to comment on the cinematographer's lighting (though ultimately the director has to o.k. the look when he sees the dailies.) Disclaimer: I worked as a lighting technician in the mainstream U.S. film industry for 25 years. Most of the time when movies are transferred from film/digital to DVD, the bottom line is to do it as cheaply as one can. One really can't fairly comment on good lighting or bad lighting because of this (this cheap approach also heavily impacts sound transfer). But in this film the aesthetic behind many of the interior scenes was that of a hack; let's bash the light in and shoot it. There's way too much "flat" lighting. That is, no contrast in the light on faces or objects EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHT SOURCES LEND THEMSELVES TO GREAT POTENTIAL LIGHTING; lighting that could help further the story.
Good performances don't make it when they are serving a poor story in a technically flawed movie.
I would also like to comment on the cinematographer's lighting (though ultimately the director has to o.k. the look when he sees the dailies.) Disclaimer: I worked as a lighting technician in the mainstream U.S. film industry for 25 years. Most of the time when movies are transferred from film/digital to DVD, the bottom line is to do it as cheaply as one can. One really can't fairly comment on good lighting or bad lighting because of this (this cheap approach also heavily impacts sound transfer). But in this film the aesthetic behind many of the interior scenes was that of a hack; let's bash the light in and shoot it. There's way too much "flat" lighting. That is, no contrast in the light on faces or objects EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHT SOURCES LEND THEMSELVES TO GREAT POTENTIAL LIGHTING; lighting that could help further the story.
Good performances don't make it when they are serving a poor story in a technically flawed movie.
Wonderfully curious film
bachatrio2 April 2009
This really was a strange little Movie.The Musicians in particular had a great time playing (or miming as happens in Film) up on "Sally Gap" in Wicklow in Ireland in November where it was at least 8 degrees below and the cast and crew were up there for 12 hours at the wedding scene.It really was freezing.I played Bodhran (Irish Drum) and i had to put my hand in hot water because it was frozen to the stick which plays the instrument.But for the fun value we had making that movie deserves 9/10.We filmed the pub scenes in Ardmore Studios which was a much warmer affair.Maybe i'm wrong but i seem to remember a day being taken off when Malosovich was captured due to Goran our Director being an immigrant Serb.
fantastic
duckgirlie27 July 2002
I went to see this film with two of my friends, based solely on the title. None of us read any reviews and so were completely suprised by it. We all enjoyed it, despite being the youngest in the audience by about ten years.
What can I say, fantastic acting, fantastic story, fantastic script. Thouroghly enjoyable.
What can I say, fantastic acting, fantastic story, fantastic script. Thouroghly enjoyable.
Two very good reasons for viewing this metamorphosis.
Dirk-8428 October 2001
I went seeing this movie with a group of teaching colleagues at the annual International Film Festival of Gent. It was indeed a festive occasion and we all felt very happy and high-spirited afterwards. I won't easily forget this film and will always highly recommend it to all the people I love, not in the least the students that have been appointed to me.
For indeed I believe in the introductory comment by Goran Paskaljevic, the director of this beautiful film, whose presence together with that of the wonderfully acting Colm Meany was of course also part of an utmost enjoyable cinematographic evening.
Mr Paskaljevic expressed two things during the measured time of the interview. He hoped that the audience would have a real good laugh and that after leaving his film one would consider the reason(s) for having an enemy.
I forgot about the audience, but the movie did certainly make me laugh. And there can only be one consideration : how unwise it is to have an enemy in one's lifetime. Harry did not become the tree of life.
For indeed I believe in the introductory comment by Goran Paskaljevic, the director of this beautiful film, whose presence together with that of the wonderfully acting Colm Meany was of course also part of an utmost enjoyable cinematographic evening.
Mr Paskaljevic expressed two things during the measured time of the interview. He hoped that the audience would have a real good laugh and that after leaving his film one would consider the reason(s) for having an enemy.
I forgot about the audience, but the movie did certainly make me laugh. And there can only be one consideration : how unwise it is to have an enemy in one's lifetime. Harry did not become the tree of life.
I love this movie
ivanserra3 August 2018
A strange mix of comedy and drama.
fedor89 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A mix of comedy and drama that doesn't quite gel right, but it's well-made and interesting enough. On one hand we have the obviously comedic tones/scenes where Condon is facing old geezers, "witnesses", who are awaiting to hear her sex-affair story, and we have that absurd (because comedic(?)) scene in which Fitzpatrick so ridiculously quickly forgives her husband's affair WITH HER OWN NIECE - and which the whole village knows about and she forgives him just because he bought her a gift.
On the other hand, the ending undoubtedly falls into drama, even tragedy, with Fitzpatrick's husband getting killed by a jealous lover, and Meaney being deserted in a tileless-roof house by his son and his wife. The two aspects don't fit all that well, though it's nothing too crass. That annoyingly European tradition/tendency for surrealism is fortunately indulged only in the very end when Meaney actually - apparently - does become a tree. The rest of the movie is "normal", in the quirky Irish-movie sense, though it was directed by a Serb. The film profits from Meaney, but also from the charismatic female cast.
On the other hand, the ending undoubtedly falls into drama, even tragedy, with Fitzpatrick's husband getting killed by a jealous lover, and Meaney being deserted in a tileless-roof house by his son and his wife. The two aspects don't fit all that well, though it's nothing too crass. That annoyingly European tradition/tendency for surrealism is fortunately indulged only in the very end when Meaney actually - apparently - does become a tree. The rest of the movie is "normal", in the quirky Irish-movie sense, though it was directed by a Serb. The film profits from Meaney, but also from the charismatic female cast.
less interesting as it continued
amyew91428 January 2006
I rented this movie for the simple reason that Cillian Murphy is in it, an actor with great range, great talent, and I can't stop staring at him sometimes. In any case, I really tried to see the humor, and it was mildly funny, at first. Of course, it's not that funny a movie, it's quite sad and insane. I've never had anything against Colm Meaney, but his descent into utter irrationality was more irritating to me than anything else. The landscape, the town, the pub - all of it was just too depressing without really giving any meat to chew on. Watching this movie will make you feel damp and cold, without any possibility of getting warm again. Another piece of advice for the director: if you're going to include a love scene, perhaps it shouldn't be the same tender, dispassionate kissing going on for 4 shots too long. Just because there was good light that day doesn't make it a good scene, and more time doing nothing doesn't add weight or develop characters.
How Symbolism Becomes Boring after a while....
seamus.dunphy8 August 2002
This is a weak movie; I believe the director's intention was to make people laugh but, in this reviewer's case, he failed miserably. OK, I giggled once or twice but in between that it was a complete bore, uninteresting characters, stupid plot line, moronic and unintelligible symbolism.
Colm Meaney did a good job as an actor 'though.
Colm Meaney did a good job as an actor 'though.
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