Icíar Bollaín and Paul Laverty, a tight-knit duo with close links to Ken Loach, respectively direct and write the screenplay of The Olive Tree (★★★★, cert 15, 99 mins) – a tear-impelling study of the bonds forged between grandfather and granddaughter.
At once a look at the Iberian economic crisis and the quick-fix loans that Spanish farmers sought to buy into the financial boom – and which left their initial businesses bankrupt – and a reflection on the inferiority complex that Spain feels in comparison to Germany, the tale centres on a wilful young woman, Alma (Anna Castillo), who embarks on a leap of faith to do the one thing that will make her grandfather Ramón (Manuel Cucala) happy.
