A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Director: Elia Kazan
Year Released: 1945
Rating: 3.5

Sweet - if occasionally over-sweet (there are more than a few close-ups of doe-eyed children glancing skyward and begging for affection) - portrait of a family growing up poor in Brooklyn but longing for 'better things' (they obsessively pinch pennies to get by). The daughter, after experiencing tragedy, has to reconcile the strained relationship with her mother (Dorothy McGuire), who herself feels conflicted by her dual role as both father and mother, nurturing and tough; meanwhile, the McGuire character has issues with her sister's free lifestyle. Brilliantly played character study - it's one of Kazan's finest films.