The Juniper Tree (1990)

Margit and her older sister, Katla, flee their homeland after their mother is killed for practicing witchcraft. Needing a place to stay, Katla casts a spell over a young farmer named Jóhann which makes him fall in love with her.

Director:

Nietzchka Keene

Writer:

Nietzchka Keene

Stars:

Björk, Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir, Valdimar Örn Flygenring

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Björk	...	Margit (as Björk Guðmundsdóttir)
Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir	...	Katla
Valdimar Örn Flygenring	...	Jóhann
Guðrún Gísladóttir	...	Mother
Geirlaug Sunna Þormar	...	Jónas

Storyline

Margit and her older sister, Katla, flee their homeland in Iceland after their mother is killed for practicing witchcraft. Needing a place to stay, Katla casts a spell over a young farmer named Jóhann which makes him fall in love with her, ensuring the wellbeing of herself and Margit. Jóhann's son, Jóhas, sees through Katla's plan and pleads for his father to make her go away. To help Jóhas in his struggle, Margit's mother appears to Margit in visions and provides a magic amulet of protection for the boy. Will Jóhas be able to rid his family of Katla or will she continue to control them with her witchcraft?

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Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | spell | magic | minimal cast | grimm's fairy tales | 

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Taglines:

A Twisted Tale of Witchcraft and Mysticism

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Iceland

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

The Juniper Tree

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Feature film debut of singer Björk as an actress.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Margit: Where did she go?
Katla: She became ashes and left with the wind.
Margit: And her soul?
Katla: Her soul... was tied with the heart of a bird.
Margit: And the tread will hold forever?
Katla: Until the bird's heart breaks.

User Reviews

If fairy tales move you you will love it. If you like Björk you will love it. If you don't like slow, sad movies this is nothing for you.

This is a truly beautiful movie!

I'm a movie maniac AND also a big Björk fan. I got to know this movie only through Björk but I think that it's really great.

The movie really feels like a fairytale (it is based on one). The feeling of it is just fantastic, the black & white creates a special atmosphere and I love the actors, not only Björk is grandiose in it! The unique Icelandic accent makes it very special to me (I'm Austrian). The story is VERY sad but at an extreme high artistic level I never expected from this little pearl.

It is it really worth to buy it on DVD.

Do it even if you like only Björk! You won't regret it. Björk is simply fantastic in it. She creates a huge part of the offered atmosphere. Support this movie, it's a masterpiece and I don't know anything similar to it's unique style.

It's not only a fairytale, it's more... enjoy it!

And something else: You can hear Björk singing even pretty often in the movie, one more reason to get it!

I gave it 9/10 here on IMDb. It's a pity it isn't well-known.

If you want to see one the best movies ever check out Dancer in the Dark (WITH BJÖRK). That one is probably the saddest movie I've ever seen. It's HEART RIPPING, so watch out. I think this is the only movie ever that me cry. Lars von Trier created with Dancer in the Dark such a great masterpiece it's nearly unbelievable. And I tell you, that one is really hard and worth gold.

Hey, if you enjoyed Juniper Tree and like Björk, let me know please!