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.

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.

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.

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.