Saturday / Dé Sathairn
The Heart of a Tree contemplates the centrality of these giants of nature to the planet’s survival, and ours. Trees provide us with the very air we breathe. It is a glimpse into a future world where human beings have evolved and adapted in order to survive.
Pandemics such as coronavirus are the result of humanity’s destruction of nature, according to leaders at the UN, WHO and WWF International, and the world has been ignoring this stark reality for decades. By ‘shaking the viral tree’ we have brought this pandemic upon ourselves. This film is a timely metaphor of a world turned upside down by our disregard for nature and the planet.
The film is shot in a barren treeless landscape, which could either be a future vision of earth or another planet. The inhabitants negotiate their way thought this inhospitable environment, harvesting air, the new gold. They plant trees on a deserted black beach, hoping to repopulate the planet with its source of oxygen.
The film explores the disconnection between humankind and nature and ultimately within ourselves. It is about redressing this imbalance, which has reached a tipping point. Global ecology is a delicate balancing act. It has become necessary for humans to evolve within their environment in order to survive. The film’s narrative contains this tension between harmony and strife.
Music: Odi et Amo by Jóhann Jóhannsson sung by Theatre of Voices
