The Tree review

When her hubby dies, Aussie housewife Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is wracked with grief, but that’s nothing compared to daughter Simone (Morgana Davies), now obsessed that daddy’s spirit resides in the massive tree bordering their Outback home.

Initially promising, this Aussie weepie branches unconvincingly into magic realism, with symbolism so clunky it hampers Gainsbourg’s involving turn.

Yet even as Julie Bertuccelli’s film grows more far-fetched, the veneer of tasteful restraint prevents it from becoming enjoyably bonkers.