Overview
A bitter neighborhood feud escalates as a father fights for his daughter's love amidst chaos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- sardonic
- unsettling
- bleak
- arthouse movie night
- dark comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an unsettling, darkly comic escalation of domestic and neighborly conflict, supported by sharp satire and strong performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The tree dispute develops through property damage, missing pets, surveillance, and threats involving a chainsaw.
The film uses an escalating neighbor dispute and family breakdown to satirize intolerance, entitlement, and social mistrust.
The large tree divides the families' homes and turns shared residential space into a struggle over private control.
Security cameras, mysteriously missing pets, rumored chainsaw sightings, and retaliatory damage create an increasingly suspicious atmosphere.
Films like Under the Tree, and why
The Square
darkly comic domestic conflict escalating into neighborly paranoia and menace
Force Majeure
biting social satire built from petty grievances, escalating tension, and moral absurdity
A Simple Plan
bleakly funny suburban feud combining family dysfunction with thriller-like escalation
Movie Details
- Director
- Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson
- Release Date
- 2017-09-06
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (175)
Cast
- Steinþór Hróar Steinþórsson
- Edda Björgvinsdóttir
- Sigurður Sigurjónsson
- Þorsteinn Bachmann
- Selma Björnsdóttir
- Lára Jóhanna Jónsdóttir
- Dóra Jóhannsdóttir
- Sigrídur Sigurpálsdóttir Scheving
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Under the Tree about?
- A custody dispute and a quarrel over a shade-casting tree spiral into a vicious Icelandic neighborhood feud.
- What is Under the Tree like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Under the Tree as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Under the Tree violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Under the Tree as moderate.
- What did critics think of Under the Tree?
- Critics broadly found the film an unsettling, darkly comic escalation of domestic and neighborly conflict, supported by sharp satire and strong performances.
- Which films are like Under the Tree?
- Films with a similar feel include The Square, Force Majeure, and A Simple Plan.
- How long is Under the Tree?
- Under the Tree runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Under the Tree?
- In United States, Under the Tree streams on Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel.
