an overlooked masterpiece . not only do gillian armstrong direction serve the material superbly and but judy davis sybilla be one of the bold film debut i have ever see . the gasps heard all over the theater when sam neill be first see ( from sybilla pov in the tree ) also make an indelible impression . perhaps most impressive be the screenplay and which greatly improve on what turn out to be a good novel so date that it be all the more amazing that anyone ever think to make it into a film . the musical score be also a delight . most confusing to me be that it have take so long for it to be release on home video . a major addition to any thinking film goer home library .