THE OLIVE TREE

Review: A young woman, her uncle and a friend set out on a journey to track down an old olive tree years after it was sold by her family.
Director: Iciar Bollain
Actors: Anna Castillo, Javier Gutierrez and Pep Ambros
Year: 2016
Genre: Art House, Comedy, Drama and International
Conclusion: 4/5
This is a Spanish drama and the original title for this film is El Olivo. Paul Laverty is back on form with The Olive Tree. The last film he wrote the screenplay for was I, Daniel Blake (2016). He also wrote the screenplay for the marvellous Route Irish (2010). It was actually Paul Laverty who came up with this story after reading an article about the selling of Spanish ancient trees to Europe and even Asia for decorative reasons. He then thought about it for a whole decade before writing the script for the film. I have not come across this director before but thought she did a fantastic job and all the performances were very strong. The musical score worked really well. This is a charming and sweet-natured film. There is lots to like about it.