User reviews

A story capturing my mind: although most of the audience in the cinema were laughing a lot and the two user comments I found in IMDB both claimed it was a funny movie, I found it rather sad. It is about the anger of a man who cannot handle his personal tragedies and decides to challenge the most powerful man in the village with no reason. The events eventually lead to an inevitable tragedy. The striking motif of self-destruction in this movie is similar to the one that exists in the Balkan and beautifully presented in some Kusturica movies, so despite the Irish environment, the director's (Goran Paskaljevic from Serbia) origin is clearly felt.

Well the main reason for seeing this movie would be to see Colm Meaney at his best. During the 1st 10 minutes of this film I was quite irritated by what I thought was another shamrockery and begorrah script. But once you get past that, its a very well acted, well-shot film. The humour was very dark though. Some in the audience were laughing while I felt like crying. I suppose the humour is open to your own interpretation. Overall a very sad story though.

I had the pleasure of seeing the world premiere of this film at the Toronto International Film Festival. It is a wonderfully funny movie with a great performance by Colm Meaney.

The script borrows from a Chinese story, but is placed in Ireland. The film is well-paced, beautifully shot, and includes wonderful performances by all involved.

There is much laughter from the audience for this wonderful film, but the laughs gradually become uneasy and scarce as we realize this charmingly presented tale is not a comedy but a little tragedy, after all. The ineffable Colm Meaney (as Harry Maloney) gives the performance of a lifetime as an ignorant but sly peasant farmer who happens to be Irish, but could be any nationality. The story is from a Chinese source; a multinational cast and crew underscore the point. Think Balkans; think Chechyna; think Quebec; think Alabama -- rural places where people have hated others for so long no one knows why. It's a classic tragic tale: Harry entangles his family and neighbors in his web of anger and revenge for imagined slights because he really can't do anything else. The skies and hills are stunningly beautiful, and every detail of the film is pitch-perfect. Go, be charmed and laugh, but be prepared to stop laughing when the sadness of these lives overwhelms you. A fine movie!

When it's all in your head! I found this a bit of an odd movie but I liked it more then I thought I would after the first 10 minutes - 'How Harry Became a Tree' stars Colm Meaney, Cillian Murphy and Adrian Dunbar. It's a 'funny tragedy'.

Typically Irish but could easily be transplanted to any nation or any era I imagine. Harry (Meaney) causes a feud when there is no reason for one and entangles his son (Murphy) and locals in a web of deceit and while he plots revenge for many imagined slights.

I am Irish and 'How Harry Became a Tree' is set in 1920's Ireland. I always fear that movies set in Ireland in this era give a very bad picture to foreigners about the Ireland of today.

There is of course a world of difference between then and now but sometimes Hollywood doesn't seem to have copped on to that - 'Leap Year' being the most recent paddywhackery schtick I can think of.

I think 'How Harry Became a Tree' would have been a much better movie if the writer / director / producer etc etc had been brave enough to set it in contemporary Ireland.

As an American, it took me a bit to get used to the language of rural Ireland in the 1920's, but this film draws you into a world that seems not at all foreign after a while. Unlike the relentlessly depressing "The Field", this is a drama of real tragedies - the small, silly tragedies that we create and that are created for us- and also, of real hope. The original Irish title of this film "How Harry Became a Tree" is so much more fitting than the US "Bitter Harvest" (what were they thinking?), though fortunately the brilliant allegory of the tree is not lost with the title change. Performances are universally outstanding and poignant, the photography beautiful, the music haunting. See this film and see how the Irish continue to astonish with their mastery of language and vision.

This really was a strange little Movie.The Musicians in particular had a great time playing (or miming as happens in Film) up on "Sally Gap" in Wicklow in Ireland in November where it was at least 8 degrees below and the cast and crew were up there for 12 hours at the wedding scene.It really was freezing.I played Bodhran (Irish Drum) and i had to put my hand in hot water because it was frozen to the stick which plays the instrument.But for the fun value we had making that movie deserves 9/10.We filmed the pub scenes in Ardmore Studios which was a much warmer affair.Maybe i'm wrong but i seem to remember a day being taken off when Malosovich was captured due to Goran our Director being an immigrant Serb.

I went to see this film with two of my friends, based solely on the title. None of us read any reviews and so were completely suprised by it. We all enjoyed it, despite being the youngest in the audience by about ten years.

What can I say, fantastic acting, fantastic story, fantastic script. Thouroghly enjoyable.

I went seeing this movie with a group of teaching colleagues at the annual International Film Festival of Gent. It was indeed a festive occasion and we all felt very happy and high-spirited afterwards. I won't easily forget this film and will always highly recommend it to all the people I love, not in the least the students that have been appointed to me.

For indeed I believe in the introductory comment by Goran Paskaljevic, the director of this beautiful film, whose presence together with that of the wonderfully acting Colm Meany was of course also part of an utmost enjoyable cinematographic evening.

Mr Paskaljevic expressed two things during the measured time of the interview. He hoped that the audience would have a real good laugh and that after leaving his film one would consider the reason(s) for having an enemy.

I forgot about the audience, but the movie did certainly make me laugh. And there can only be one consideration : how unwise it is to have an enemy in one's lifetime. Harry did not become the tree of life.

I think the best role for Colm he is incredible and the movie is really cool. It is worth to watch it.

I rented this movie for the simple reason that Cillian Murphy is in it, an actor with great range, great talent, and I can't stop staring at him sometimes. In any case, I really tried to see the humor, and it was mildly funny, at first. Of course, it's not that funny a movie, it's quite sad and insane. I've never had anything against Colm Meaney, but his descent into utter irrationality was more irritating to me than anything else. The landscape, the town, the pub - all of it was just too depressing without really giving any meat to chew on. Watching this movie will make you feel damp and cold, without any possibility of getting warm again. Another piece of advice for the director: if you're going to include a love scene, perhaps it shouldn't be the same tender, dispassionate kissing going on for 4 shots too long. Just because there was good light that day doesn't make it a good scene, and more time doing nothing doesn't add weight or develop characters.

This is a weak movie; I believe the director's intention was to make people laugh but, in this reviewer's case, he failed miserably. OK, I giggled once or twice but in between that it was a complete bore, uninteresting characters, stupid plot line, moronic and unintelligible symbolism.

Colm Meaney did a good job as an actor 'though.