A Guide to Becoming an Elm Tree

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A Guide to Becoming an Elm Tree is a 2023 Irish folk horror film written and directed by Adam and Skye Mann, starring James Healy-Meaney, Gerry Wade and M.J. Sullivan. It was the Mann's debut feature.

• James Healy-Meaney
• Gerry Wade
• M.J. Sullivan

Adam and Skye Mann, who live in Vancouver, went to Ireland in December 2021 to shoot the film, which they wrote, directed, produced and edited. They funded the film's production.^[1]

The film had its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest on 25 September 2023.^[2]

JP Nunez of Horror Obsessive called the film a "beautiful, flawlessly executed ghost story about the pain of grief and the finality of death."^[3] Nadine Whitney of Alliance of Women Film Journalists described the film as a "disquieting and eerie work with an impeccable pictorial language." She praised the script and direction, calling it "as beguiling as the ancient mythology they invoke. “Nothing comes for free,” is a tale oft repeated in folklore"^[4] Stephanie Archer of Film Inquiry called the film a "must see" and wrote: "Feeling ancient in it origin, yet modern in its catharsis, A Guide to Becoming an Elm Tree is one of the biggest surprises out of Fantastic Fest."^[5] Andy Crump of Paste gave the film a score of 8.6/10 and wrote: "The film isn't a scare-a-minute affair. It’s thick with foreboding and heartache, and that’s the most Irish that Irish cinema gets."^[6]

• A Guide to Becoming an Elm Tree at IMDb