Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2489. Palm Trees In The Snow (2015)

    2489. Palm Trees In The Snow (2015)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on March 16, 2019 160-169 mins, 2015, 6 - 7.9, Drama, Mar 19, Movies Of 2019, Review, Romance, Spain
    6.6 A little overly sentimental
    • Acting 6.7
    • Directing 6.6
    • Story 6.5
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Mario Casas, Macarena García, Adriana Ugarte

    Director: Fernando González Molina

    Running Time: 163 mins


    Palm Trees In The Snow (Palmeras en la nieve) is a Spanish film about the story of a family and their life in Spanish Guinea, and the woman who sets out to Africa in present day to discover their incredible history.

    An epic, romantic historical drama of a lifetime in the vein of classic Hollywood epics, the ambition of Palm Trees In The Snow is not to be underestimated, nor is its impressive intentions to subvert the classic genre and adapt it to the modern day. In all of that, however, it proves a frustratingly over-sentimental and often hyperbolic drama that really lacks in genuine emotional depth and connection, something that makes it a rather exhausting watch over the course of its near three-hour runtime.

    But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because there are still a good few positives to look at here, the biggest of which comes in the form of the film’s lead performances. Despite a rather large ensemble cast, the lead turns from Mario Casas, Macarena García and Alain Hernández are engrossing and convincing throughout, impressively staying away from the emotional hyperbole that unfortunately plagues the film’s screenplay.

    Those three leads all play characters whose main story plays out in the past, brought to life by old letters being rediscovered in the present day, and it’s their performances that really make that side of the story work really rather well, with the love triangle that plays out between the trio over the course of the first act the film’s dramatic highlight.

    Another plus here is lies in the film’s attempts to change up the classic romantic epic, and drag it a little closer to the present day. As a result, while the core story is still one that’s been largely present in Hollywood since 1939, it takes some welcome steps to lend more attention to the realities of its historical period. Rather than solely centring on the loves and lives of its core characters, there’s a lot more intrigue and focus on the people of then-Spanish Guinea, and how their lives played out alongside the main story, something that gives this film a more rounded and equally grounded feel than many classics of the genre.

    However, there’s no denying that Palm Trees In The Snow is a little bit of a bloated movie, and while it attempts to bring together the three key genres of a period romance, a historical drama and a journey back through the memories of a family, it really misses the mark, and ultimately plays out as a rather disconnected and simply overlong watch.

    So, while that period romance is engaging, and the historical focuses prove interesting too, the way that they’re balanced with the present day story – that is a descendant of the family retracing their story – really doesn’t work. Particularly over the first hour or so, the film is 90% focused on the period drama, with very little attention being given to the woman in present day.

    Now, that was fine by me at the time, given the intrigue of the period story, but the present day story starts to take up a lot more screen time through the second and third acts, yet with nowhere near enough character establishment to allow you to draw a strong emotional connection through time between these two stories.

    The film knows this, and as such turns into a far more melodramatic and over-sentimental affair through its latter two acts, with a number of big emotional scenes proving hyperbolic peaks to a journey through family history that just isn’t all that riveting, and lacks the ultimate emotional payoff to really be considered a worthy element of the story as a whole – and a worthy reason for the film to go on for nearly three hours.

    As a result, I found myself really rather bored by the end of Palm Trees In The Snow, and while it is a film that certainly has merit in its performances and period setting, it’s one that takes an overly simplistic direction and executes it poorly, relying too heavily on melodrama and tenuous, generic emotional links throughout, and that’s why I’m giving it a 6.6 overall.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.4
    Review
    January 9, 20130

    11. Black Swan (2010)

    8.4
    Review
    December 30, 20140

    799. Almost Famous (2000)

    8.2
    Review
    February 13, 20210

    3254. Anatomy Of A Murder (1959)

    8.6
    Review
    April 6, 20180

    2108. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

    8.5
    Review
    April 23, 20160

    1329. Eye In The Sky (2016)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.