| The Juniper Tree | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Nietzchka Keene |
| Produced by | Nietzchka Keene |
| Written by | Nietzchka Keene |
| Starring | Björk Guðmundsdóttir Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir Guðrún Gísladóttir Valdimar Örn Flygenring Geirlaug Sunna Þormar |
| Music by | Larry Lipkis |
| Cinematography | Randolph Sellars |
| Editing by | Nietzchka Keene |
| Distributed by | Rhino Home Video |
| Release date(s) | USA: 10 April 1990 Iceland: 12 February 1993 |
| Running time | 78 minutes approx. |
| Country | Iceland United States |
| Language | English |
The Juniper Tree is a 1990 Icelandic film with a small cast of five actors, Björk, Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir, Guðrún S. Gísladóttir, Valdimar Örn Flygenring and introducing Geirlaug Sunna Þormar. It was written and directed by Nietzchka Keene and based on the fairy tale "The Juniper Tree" collected by the Brothers Grimm.
The film was shot in Iceland with an extraordinary small budget in the summer of 1986, but because of financial problems later on in the editing room it was not released until 1990, when it screened for the "Grand Jury Prize" at the Sundance Film Festival. Rhino Home Video released the film on VHS in 1995 and on DVD in 2002.
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The Juniper Tree is set in Iceland and portrays the story of two sisters, Margit (Björk Guðmundsdóttir) and her elder sister Katla (Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir), who escape their home after their mother (Guðrún S. Gísladóttir) is stoned and burned for witchcraft. They go where no one knows them, and find Jóhann (Valdimar Örn Flygenring), a young widower who has a son called Jónas (Geirlaug Sunna Þormar). Katla uses magical powers to seduce Jóhann and they start living together. Margit and Jónas become friends. However, Jónas does not accept Katla as his stepmother and tries to convince his father to leave her. Katla's magic power is too strong and even though he knows he should leave her, he can't. Margit's mother appears to her in visions and Jónas' mother appears as a raven and to bring him a magical feather.
Labeled as a fairy tale, science-fiction, fantasy, drama or art house film, The Juniper Tree was shot in black and white to highlight its dramatic content and as a resource to place the story in the Middle Ages. This film has become famous among Björk's admirers after she gained international renown by the early nineties. Despite some critics remarks about the protagonists' performances, some reviewers consider it is a good film in terms of the screenplay and cinematography.
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