hazelra80
Whilst this can be a bit slumpy in places. I feel that it does depict the depth of palmes love and inner torment."One minute, Palme is a humble hero in search of himself, the next a violent psycho with an unhealthy fixation on a girl" ¬Mindboggling, by Sarah USis that not love? it is not illogical and complex, conflicting and overwhelming? It is beautifully portrayed through the eyes of palme. a boy made of wood to be a companion of a girl. the tree from which he was cast was sentient so he developed thoughts akin to feelings. The story is bittersweet. it follows palme as he explores who he is as well as what perceived feelings and attachments truly are. you feel for palme but because he's not 'a real boy' you are with him without feeling uncomfortable. the mesh between Pinocchio and Puppy is a clever and essential device to the telling of the story. If you cannot appreciate that then you have missed the point entirely. I would class this as slice of life rather than fantasy. but there are 2 types of the aforementioned. If you want an anime that spells it all out for you and leaves you feeling all cutesy-poo then this is not for you. If you like anime that provokes thought and the slice of life you're after is the big questions and quandaries then this is a must see.
mini_axe_master
I recently bought 'A Tree of Palme' as I was interested in the idea that it was an adaptation of the Pinocchio story. It was amazing to watch with beautiful animation and music. I enjoyed it because even though Palme (a mechanical puppet) does not achieve his ultimate goal in the film it still leaves you with a sense of fulfilment.I must say after reading many peoples reviews of it and continuously comparing it with the works of myazaki and 'Akira' it highlighted to me that point that it is a difficult film to grasp. I think its a shame that people aren't open to new ideas and interpretations and are forever putting something that is genuinely brilliant down just because its not revolutionary or a big box office grosser.It is a film that opens your eyes to that world but only if you care to look.
shoalx2003
I simply cannot understand how so many people can dislike "A Tree of Palme". Allow me to explain.For one, people complain that the pacing is too slow. Get over it. Some films happen to have slow pacing, and the pacing in "A Tree of Palme" served the plot excellently and with good taste. I can't imagine "A Tree of Palme" being any better with faster pacing; the pacing allowed it to have a "slice of life" feel, while at the same time immersing you in an alien world and a worthy, action-packed adventure.Furthermore, I hardly think the plot is convoluted as so many suggest. I had no trouble following any aspect of the story. I'll admit that there are many anime films out there with plots that run circles around my head, but this wasn't one of them. It all made perfect sense to me -- symbolism and all. Perhaps I'm either insane or smarter than most. I don't know. All I know was that I truly enjoyed the plot and had no issues with it.I also very much liked all the characters. That's a rare pleasure I get from movies these days, especially given my extremely jaded nature. With a combination of good writing, great cinematography, and great music, I was able to feel everything the characters felt; when they were happy, so was I; when they were sad, so too did sadness well up from within me. Only the best films can achieve such a goal (should it even *be* a goal, given most of today's trash films).And then there is the pure artistry in virtually every shot of the film. My god, "A Tree of Palme" is beautiful -- an artistic triumph in every sense. Immersion is practically guaranteed. And the CG? Perfectly integrated. Absolutely perfect. I never felt as if I was looking at CG -- the gorgeous cinematography and haunting music saw to that. It also helped that the modern, intricate CG was sparingly used, unlike so many of today's films. The CG was as CG *should* be.In the end, "A Tree of Palme" is an amazing film and simply doesn't deserve the terrible wrap so many people levy upon it. It reminds me so much of the early days of film, when special effects weren't everything and pacing was much slower. If you're a fan of film, you owe it to yourself to see "A Tree of Palme".
Dhomochevsky
I saw this movie two weeks ago at the "festival des nouvelles images du Japon" in Paris. Though i wasn't expecting much from it, i have to say i've been disappointed just like many people in the audience... if i wanted to sum up how i felt, i'd say i've been comparing it to princess mononoke and nausicaa from the beginning to the end. Of course it's silly. But i couldn't help it. The stories are quite different, but the worlds pictured are very much alike. And from this point of view, "a tree of palme" definitely can't stand the comparison with Miyazaki's masterworks. Even if it's quite good technically, boredom remains... in the end its complete lack of originality makes me advise you not to care to watch it. I rated it 2 out of 10 (a bit harsh, i guess it deserves 3 or 4)
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