The Olive Tree

Alma grows up in a family that has turned away from tradition to keep paying the bills, swapping olive oil for mass production poultry. The story centers on her quiet stubbornness as she refuses to accept the erasure of a landscape she loves. Her grandfather, once the proud patriarch of the olive groves, has fallen silent and withdrawn, grieving for a millennial tree that was uprooted to cover debts. Alma senses his sorrow and the weight it carries for the whole clan. Rather than walk away, she sets out to find the once rooted tree and bring it back to the old orchard, hopeful it will bring peace to him and to them all. Her resolve is about healing kin.

Directed by Icíar Bollaín with a screenplay by Paul Laverty, The Olive Tree stars Anna Castillo as Alma and blends drama with humor to tell a story about family ties and land. It premiered in 2016 and traveled to festivals.

Set in the Castellon region and rooted in the struggle between preserving tradition and adapting to modern markets, the film resonates with rural communities and climate aware audiences. Alma's quest to reclaim a lost tree has become a quiet emblem of memory and stewardship. It also raises questions of duty.

Critics generally note its restrained pace, human tenderness, and deft balance of laughs with social critique. The film centers on memory, intergenerational bonds, and the impact of economic pressures on land and identity, inviting viewers to consider what we owe to the past and the costs of forgetting our roots.