A modern family relocates to the countryside where the children discover a magical tree with eccentric residents. They’re transported to fantastical lands, rekindling their family bond through adventures.
Chuck says:
A fantasy for both children and adults, Ben Gregor’s “The Magic Faraway Tree” finds the perfect balance of whimsy and post-modernism to make it work for both groups. Based on the novels by Enid Blyton, the film leisurely casts its spell, its story unfolding effortlessly between an idyllic rural landscape and a fantasy world in the sky that, much to this viewer’s amusement, constantly changes, to offer one surprising humorous moment after another. An additional delight is that the three young characters all prove to be likeable and sympathetic, not a forced moment delivered by the movie’s trio of young actors.
The statement, “The magic of childhood is often forgot but this is the story of one who did not,” is splashed across the screen to start the movie, a reference to Tim (Andrew Garfield), the patriarch of the Thompson family. An eternal optimist, he’s charged with holding down the homestead while his wife, Polly (Claire Foy) pursues her career as an appliance designer. This is not how she intended to use her engineering degree, yet when she loses her job, it still stings. It also has broad ramifications as the family will now lose the flat and car the company was providing her.
Despite these seeming dire circumstance, Tim remains optimistic they’ll land on their feet. For inspiration, he pulls out a book of dreams he and Polly wrote years before and immediately finds one he’s been hoping would come true. So, much to the chagrin of Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), the clan’s petulant teenager, Joe (Phoenix Laroche), the family’s wi-fi dependent gamer, and Fran (Billie Gadsdon), their perpetual dreamer, the Thompson’s set out to transform a run-down barn into a country home. The plan is Tim will grow tomatoes, use them to produce his unique pasta sauce with success and prosperity soon to follow. A sure-fire plan if there ever was one.
Needless to say, the kids aren’t happy, with Beth’s continued exasperation and Joe’s dismal sense of resignation played up for effective laughs. This, and the comic tension between the parents, who are always putting a positive spin on things, while the kids only see doom and gloom, makes for a solid first act.
That the film doesn’t jump the rails when pixies and other imaginary creatures are introduced is a minor miracle. Fran is invited to a tea party by Silky (Nicola Coughlan), a fairy she unwittingly does a good turn for. Taking place in the branches of a massive tree, she finds herself breaking biscuits with Moonface (Nonso Anozie), a giant, egotist with a face like a moon, Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), a man who wears pots and pans for clothes, Mr. Whatisname (Oliver Chris) a prince who, you guessed it, can’t remember his name, and Dame Washalot (Jessica Gunning), a woman who is perpetually doing laundry.
Not only is she a wizard at getting out stains but she minds to stairway to alternate worlds that exist above the clouds, a new one looming overhead each day. There’s the Land of Goodies, where you can eat all the sweets you want, the Land of Birthdays, where your birthday wishes come true, the Land of Know-Alls, where any question you have can be answered and the Land of Dame Snap, where a wicked school mistress (Rebecca Fergueson) is intent on sucking the fun out of everything.
These various locations are rendered in a way that highlights their artificial nature, underscoring that they could not exist without Beth, Joe and Fran believing in them. Their bright hues, grand size and whimsical characters are all products of their collective imaginations, realms in which they feel either comfortable and safe or are given the opportunity to realize they can solve and overcome seemingly dire circumstances. It is through their experiences there and their interactions with their fantastical friends that they learn how to deal with and see their new lives in a positive light.
For adult viewers, the vision of being able to survive and thrive outside the modern rat race is the appeal. The Thompsons slowly transform their rundown barn into an idyllic refuge, a home full of warmth and love, all sustained by the crops they grow and the sauce that’s sold. It’s unfortunate such a dream cannot be conjured by force of will and imagination alone.
Like the best fantasy films, “Tree” provides us not only with a wonderful respite from the real world but also a renewed perspective as to how to deal with it. While hanging on to a piece of your childhood and applying the sense of hope found there is easier said than done, at times, attempting to do so can provide a bit of unexpected magic.
3 1/2 Stars
