Neil and I waited in line for rush tickets for Happy-Go-Lucky, but weren’t so lucky and missed out. Therefore, we decided to walk to the Pacific Cinémathéque a few blocks away to watch Under The Tree. I can’t really explain the plot of the story as it seemed to lack one. There was a young woman who was in search of her birth mother in Bali, while another young woman seemingly follows around an elderly man around the village, mimicking his thoughts and actions. There was a lot of Balinese music, singing and dancing which reminded be of one scene in Baraka (my all time favourite movie). There were a few scenes that left me completely perplexed. I scratched my head as I tried to understand their purpose, but in the end I was left puzzled. There were a few good scenes, but for the most part, I would not recommend this film.

Here is the VIFF explanation:

Under the Tree–A Bali Story
Di Bawah Pohon
[UNDTR]
Dragons and Tigers
(Indonesia, 2008, 104 mins)
35mm
Directed By: Garin Nugroho
Selected Filmography:

* (1995) … And the Moon Dances
* (1998) Leaf on a Pillow
* (2002) Bird-Man Tale
* (2006) Opera Jawa
* (2007) Teak Leaves at the Temples

PRODS: Garin Nugroho, Dinna Jasanti
SCR: Armantono
CAM: Yadi Sugandi
ED: Andhy Pulung Widaodo
MUS: Wiwiex Soedarno, Kadek Suardana
Cast: Marcella Zalianty, Nadia Saphira, Ayu Laksmi, Dwi Sasono, Ikranagara, I Ketut Rina

Indonesian master Garin Nugroho is one of the few directors who hates repeating himself: the form, theme and setting of each of his films is different. So it’s no surprise that he follows the radiant Opera Jawa with a film about contemporary women, or that he sets it in the distinctive culture of the ancient/modern holiday island Bali. He interweaves the stories of three unrelated women, only one of them a Balinese native. The women never meet each other, but their stories add up to a persuasive meditation on maternity, parenting and life/death struggles. The setting, of course, adds incalculable resonance. The superstitious Maharani, who was adopted as a child and knows nothing of her birth parents, comes looking for a mystical understanding of motherhood, but finds herself circumstantially caught up in a baby-trafficking racket. The 40-year-old Dewi is pregnant, but a scan reveals that her fetus is malformed and would die soon after birth; she agonizes over having an abortion. And the airhead teen-celebrity Nian flees to Bali when her father is arrested on corruption charges; she latches on to a surrogate “father” in the person of the elderly artist Darma, only to find that he’s risking his life by performing in a Balinese death ritual. Social realism meets the spirit world, topical commentary meets poetry.
– Tony Rayns