Cast: Dirk Brinkman, Gilead Redd Taylor Brodsky, Carolyn Finney
Keywords:
6.6/10
73% – Critics
73% – Audience
Trees, and Other Entanglements Storyline
The entangled lives of people and trees take root and grow into a contemporary tale of time: our connection to the natural world and to one another. Trees tell the truth. They are vulnerable. They cannot escape. In this film, we meet a young boy stolen and hidden amongst trees, an artist refining American bonsai, a photographer artfully observing trees, a mother fighting to protect the forests in her backyard, family trees and uprooted trees, and a man who steadfastly plants them. The layers reveal the tender heartwood of the humans and trees alike, both honest and sensitive. These stories unfold as an arboreal and deeply human thriller.—Vermilion Films
As a lover of trees and nature, I was immediately hooked when seeing the thumbnail on HBO. But unfortunately the doc failed to deliver value past the cover.
The story feels scattered and the storytellers did a poor job of making me feel invested in the characters or the picture they were trying to paint. It could have been the Mona Lisa- but instead it feels more like a childs crayon drawing on the street.
Mid-way in a grown-ass woman is hysterially crying about her parents cherry tree being cut down years ago, which was supposed to be a powerful moment of empathy. But instead it made me feel unsettled, wishing that the filmmaker would lay down the camera and get that women to a therapist ASAP.
After one hour of watching, Im honestly not even sure what point the doc is trying to make. It somehow made me feel less appealed to both trees and humans at the same time. Which is impressive.
Spend the 1 HR 49 MIN out in the woods instead, it will be far more rewarding. A solid 3/10.
