Decent, but forgettable
Undir trénu [Under the Tree] is as textbook an example of gálgahúmor [gallows humour] as you're ever likely to find. Written by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson and Huldar Breiðfjörð, and directed by Sigurðsson, the film begins with Agnes (Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir) accusing her husband, Atli (Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson), of cheating. Although he denies it, she throws him out, and he returns to his parents, Baldvin (Sigurður Sigurjónsson) and Inga (Edda Björgvinsdóttir). A shadow hangs over the family in the shape of the disappearance years earlier of Atli's older brother, Uggi. Whilst most people, including Atli and Baldvin, believe Uggi committed suicide, Inga refuses to accept this, still expecting him to return home at some point. Next-door live Konrad (Þorsteinn Bachmann) and his wife Eybjorg (Selma Björnsdóttir), who is closer in age to Atli than she is to Konrad himself. The two couples are in the midst of a passive-aggressive dispute concerning a large tree in Baldvin and Inga's garden, which is casting a shadow over Konrad and Eybjorg's sundeck. Baldvin is open to the possibility of trimming it, but Inga point-blank refuses, arguing that Konrad's first wife never had a problem with it, and it is only because of Eybjorg's vanity that there is an issue now.
For my complete review, please visit: https://boxd.it/vp0nj
Shout by Lee Brown Barrow Movie BuffVIP 3BlockedParent2019-08-28T21:16:56Z
A simple tale of paranoia and neighbourhood rivalry that escalates as the film goes on. I don't think the film deserves the acclaim it has been given - it loses focus and is more subdued than I think it should have been - but it's still worth a watch.