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‘In the Arms of the Tree’ Review: Modest Iranian Film Spins Platitudes Following Two Young Brothers Weathering a Divorce
Centering on two young brothers weathering their parents’ divorce, 'In the Arms of the Tree' showcases filmmaker Babak Khajehpasha’s gift with actors.
Tragedy does strike and the fallout sets the stage for Khajehpasha to craft a humanist call toward hope, using the two young brothers as vehicles through which to extoll the value of parents who care and who will do anything in their power to make sure their kids return to them safely. And it’s the disruption of that pleasant ingenuity that jolts the film into a more hurried melodrama, where Kimia’s secret (the root, it seems, of the phobia that’s come between her and Farid) explodes the gentle family drama Khajehpasha is painting. There’s beauty here and a great eye for grounded performances (not just the kids; Baniadam shines as a mother unraveling by fears she cannot keep at bay), but this Iranian domestic tale offers little more than well-worn platitudes.
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