Directed by Adam and Skye Mann, A Guide to Becoming an Elm Tree starts when Padraig (James Healy-Meaney) seeks out how to build a coffin for his recently deceased — but already buried — wife and works with a mysterious carpenter. The carpenter demands that this not be a simple project and requires not just the skills of hammer, saw and file but also the study of the trees and how they will lend themselves to making the perfect container for his lost wife. However, Padraig finds a book in the carpenter’s house that allows him to get done faster, which as you can guess, just goes wrong.

Shot in stark black and white and filled with Irish accents that may seem imperceptible to American ears — the closed captioning is a must — this is a film that is filled with longing, loss and magic that still finds itself in the world. It’s definitely worth a watch.

You can watch this and so many of the films at CFF by buying a pass on their website. I’ll be posting reviews and articles over the next few days, as well as updating my Letterboxd list of watches.