A Tree of Palme (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Running Time 136 Minutes Language Options - English/Japanese/English Subtitles Released by ADV Films Extras - Making of A Tree of Palme - Character, Mechanical. Prop Design - Sketches - Story, Character, Mechanical, and - World View Artwork - 5 Key Sequence Animatics - Original Japanese Promos and Trailers
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A Tree of Palme (DVD)

In a setting of surrealism and visual beauty, Nakamura Takashi (chief animation director, Akira, 1988) places a story that journeys into the complex realms of the human condition like no one else can. A Tree of Palme is a stunningly beautiful and ironic story of how the journey through life is never what it seems.

When a mysterious woman gives Palme (an apathetic robot made from the sacred Kuroop tree) the Egg of Touto and charges him with a crusade which has put the fate of the world into his hands, a journey of rebirth and discovery unfolds.

Chased by a mysterious group of mercenaries, Palme teams up with a band of misfits only to discover the complexity of the human condition and what it truly means to be alive.

The movie A Tree of Palme reminds me heavily of other stories, mostly because they approach the same themes although at different approaches. The parallels that can be drawn to Pinocchio and Oliver Twist help reinforce the idea of how the main character is developing his humanity through this adventure. A Tree of Palme doesn’t use a quick pace to move the characters haphazardly from one moment of excitement to the next, the movie moves at a slow pace (much like the title character) and allows the scenes to build up until action occurs, almost like a boiling kettle. At a length of 136 minutes, this is one of the longer animated movies that I’ve seen and it makes for a more enjoyable experience with the action being rushed to keep the running time (and therefore cost) down.

The main character, Palme, is a puppet made from wood from the sacred Kuroop tree and his life-blood is the oil from that tree. If he remains out in the sun for any significant amount of time, his body will revert and he will become a Kuroop tree. His lack of experiences leave him child-like, but his introspective personality makes him seem slow compared to the people around him. Living with one of his creators, Palme laments the loss of his “mother” from illness and wants to search for her, not wanting to believe that she is dead. Palme and his “father” are visited by a woman who is being chased, and the woman seems drawn to Palme and entrusts him with the “Egg of Touto” and a small dagger. The Egg becomes part of Palme’s body thanks to the mystic Crosskahla and it reduces his need for oil. However, the chasing group enters the home looking for the woman and the Egg, and attack the father when he tries to protect Palme. Palme is then told by his dying father that he must take the Egg to the underworld (as the woman asked) because he can get enough Crosskahla that he won’t ever be dependant on oil again such as his mother wanted for him.

Now traveling with his pet Crow-snake (a kind of flying lizard), Palme heads out and is quickly caught by a slaver. This slaver brings his wares to a nearby city, but before he can get to the marketplace, he is robbed by a band of children who also free Palme and bring him along. Through a series of misadventures, he ends up continuing his journey with some of the children some of which agree to go just for the adventure, some out of kinship ofbeing alone, some to see what Palme will

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uncover. As the team moves, they must continually battle against both the group that is chasing Palme for the Egg of Touto and from people who would take Palme for the wealth that his body represents.

The art style of Nakamura Takashi is quite evident early, the backgrounds of A Tree of Palme are practically the highlight of the movie. Gorgeous, detailed, and impressive to look at; some of the pictures of foliage do a better job of

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creating dimensional perspective than a high definition television. Open spaces are just that, desolate emptiness with their own elegance. Cities are busy metropolises where beauty has been sacrificed for function and all of the space of the city is being used efficiently. The characters are all intense: each character, while multi-faceted, are very driven personalities in their own way. Even the plodding Palme is intense as he stares at objects as if trying to divine some hidden truth from them. Most people will be very impressed with the animation, and strong characters, but may be unused to the slow pace of the movie. Recommended to those looking for an excellent art film.

- Tazman

(March 25, 2005)

"It was almost the perfect plot, but you forgot rock crushes scissors... but paper covers rock... and scissors cuts paper... Kif, we have a conundrum!"

"Uuuhhhh..."

- Zap Brannigan and Kif (Futurama)