We all have things in our house which might not be valuable based on sight, but which for us personally mean a whole lot. I myself have a couple of brown drinking glasses which don’t seem to be very special, but they are important to me. The reason for that is because they were owned by my grandma and they are something I handle with care as they are the only physical things I have from her. I don’t remember her using them, but because of them I still feel a connection to her. The Spanish film El Olivo, by director Icíar Bollaín, is also about such a symbol, an olive tree.
Together with her family Alma (Anna Castillo) runs a poultry farm. They also own lots of olive trees which once were planted by the Romans. As a kid she often played among them and spent a lot of time with her grandfather there, who taught her a lot. She still has a strong relationship with him, but because of his dementia he doesn’t respond to anything. Alma think that he is like he is because of a specific event which took place in the past related to a specific olive tree. Together with her uncle Alcachofa (Javier Gutiérrez) and colleague Rafa (Pep Ambròs) decide to take action.
El Olivo is a beautiful film which has more than a strong dramatic tone as it also leaves room for comedic moments. The olive tree which it all revolves about has had a huge impact on various relationships within the family. Slowly you find out what kind of effect this has had on Alma and why she holds so much anger, but also why she is so motivated to solve the problem, even if that means having to lie to her family. It is a great roadmovie which doesn’t always goes the way you’d expect.
