The Last Tree

As we first encounter the yellow glossed fields of Lincolnshire, The Last Tree makes the ethereal countryside seem perfect for any child. Femi (Tai Golding) is a young boy enjoying his carefree childhood under the tender eyes of his foster parent Mary (Denise Black). There’s a wide-eyed optimism when we are introduced to Femi throwing mud with his friends, and that his future can go many ways from here on out.
 
But like any coming-of-age story, a spanner is thrown into the works. Femi’s biological mother (Gbemisola Ikumelo) comes back into his life and wants to bring her son back to London, believing it will provide the best opportunities for him. Mary breaks her promise to Femi and agrees, taking this rural child into an urban environment for which he knows nothing about.
 
Straight from the get go, Femi’s household is completely different to what he has experienced before. Love and care is replaced with chores and strict parenting, something that Femi begins to resent. London starts to grow on him however, and when we time jump to Femi as a teenager (Sam Adewunmi), he is no longer the guilt-free child we had known before. With his prospects soon to be determined with the presence of exams, Femi has several choices to make about the person that he wants to be. Whether he should buckle down and study hard or hold on to his resentment and become another statistic in the underworld of crime.
 
The main reason why The Last Treesucceeds is because it perfectly dives into Femi’s head. As well as great performances from Golding and Adewunmi, audiences know exactly what the central protagonist is feeling and thinking throughout the film. Being a close-minded individual, we only see through his eyes and posture how he truly feels. Teenage bitterness may seem unwarranted at times, but Femi’s has been justified. With how he has consistently been moved around and lied to, longing for a place to feel like home.
 
Shola Amoo’s sophomore feature has had many comparisons to 2016’s Moonlightwhich is rightly so. Not just in its fragmented structure of a boy’s coming-of-age story but also with the characters around him. Femi’s torn relationship with his mother is a key reason for his behaviour; rather than try to take responsibility though, he finds himself seeking friendship or any kind of attachment with criminals around him. Their lifestyle is not depicted in the usual affluent style however. Yes they may drive BMW’s and have cash to remain comfortable, but the property and area around them is nothing short of prosperous.
 
There’s also a technical comparison to be made with Moonlightas well, with the lighting and colour clearly influenced by Barry Jenkin’s Oscar-winning film. Amoo is referencing black cinema in the hopes of placing The Last Treein the long list of acclaimed successes. Spike Lee’s signature dolly shot is not influenced but fully replicated as Femi finally reaches the stage of his self-actualisation.
 
It’s able to sustain originality with the comparisons between black and white childhoods. The no-nonsense parenting may seem strict at first when Femi first moves in to London, but as he becomes older his harsh upbringing has a purpose to it. His brief stay in Lincolnshire may have promised Femi a more sheltered childhood, but the lessons he learnt there is enough to shape his character for the better as well.
 
The film does lose its visual interest when the focus shifts to London however. There is still plenty of key moments that show the filmmaking craft at full effect, a one-take involving Femi arrive at a tower block being the finest example. Still these technical moments may not have as much resonance as Moonlightwhen it comes to what it’s trying to say. It doesn’t perfectly encapsulate the coming-of-age story, but The Last Treestill has a strong theme at its core; the longing for a place to call home.
 
8/10