The Olive Tree (Spanish: El olivo) is a 2016 drama film directed by Icíar Bollaín and written by Paul Laverty starring Anna Castillo alongside Javier Gutiérrez and Pep Ambròs. It was shortlisted as one of three films as the Spanish submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, but was not selected.
Contents
Plot
Alma is a 20-year-old girl and adores her grandfather, a man who has not spoken for years. When the elderly man also refuses to eat, the girl decides to recover the millenary tree that the family sold against his will. In order to succeed, she needs to count on her uncle, a victim of the crisis, her friend Rafa, and her whole town to help her. The problem is to find out where in Europe the olive tree is.
Cast
Anna Castillo as Alma
Javier Gutiérrez as Alcachofa
Pep Ambròs as Rafa
Manuel Cucala as Ramón
Miguel Angel Aladren as Luis
Ana Isabel Mena as Sole
Carme Pla as Vanessa
Production
The film is a Spanish-German co-production by Morena Films alongside The Match Factory.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Miami Festival. Distributed by eOne Films Spain, it was released theatrically in Spain on 6 May 2016.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.
Jonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter underscored the film to be "a feel-good combination of angry and tender".