The Juniper Tree (Nietzchka Keene, 1990)
Cast: Björk, Bryndis Petra Bragadóttir, Valdimar Örn Flygenring, Guðrún Gisladóttir, Geirlaug Sunna Þormar. Screenplay: Nietzchka Keene. Cinematography: Randolph Sellars. Art direction: Dominque Polain. Film editing: Nietzchka Keene. Music: Larry Lipkis.
Nietzchka Keene's The Juniper Tree, the first feature in her sadly brief career, reminded me of films by Bergman and Dreyer, largely because of its bleakly beautiful, isolated, apparently medieval setting. It has also been called "feminist," a label often pasted on films directed by women, though I think it transcends labels and influences, working its effect largely through the strength of some well-imagined characters. The sisters Margit and Katla have been left homeless after their mother was burned as a witch, so Katla, the elder, casts a spell on Jóhann, a handsome young widower, and the sisters go to live with him. Jóhann's young son, Jónas, resents his stepmother and lovingly tends his mother's grave, a devotion that only feeds his animosity toward Katla, though he makes friends with Margit, who has visions of her own late mother. Eventually, as in all such tales, tensions, fed by Katla's witchcraft, Margit's visions, and Jónas's resentment, result in calamity. It's a simple story with roots in a tale from the Brothers Grimm, given potency by good performances, particularly Björk as the pivotal character of Margit, by a strong eroticism in the relationship of Katla and Jóhann, and by the exploration of the Icelandic setting in Randolph Sellars's handsome black-and-white cinematography.