The Tree of Blood 2019

Marc Bellmunt and Rebeca Lopez arrive in a striking red car at a charming farmhouse nestled in the breathtaking mountains of Spain’s Basque country. As a stunning young couple of about 25 years, Marc boasts medium-long blond hair and a mustache, while Rebeca sports dark brown short hair. They embrace a magnificent tree in front of the farmhouse before stepping inside to unveil the furniture hidden under drop cloths. Rebeca settles at a laptop and encourages Marc to share their family’s tale.

Marc begins narrating that during the summer of 1991, his mother, Nuria Bellmont, was grieving at their family home when tragedy struck—her parents were killed in a car accident. In a flashback, a mesmerizing young blond woman named Nuria meets the imposing Georgian, Dimitri. Their encounters grow increasingly passionate, yet laced with reluctance from Nuria. Just as their relationship escalates, the brooding Olmo Mendoza arrives in the same striking red BMW, revealing that he was Nuria’s father’s driver and bodyguard. He uncovers the chilling truth: Nuria’s parents were murdered by the Georgian mafia, forcing her to flee her home at Costra Grande for a decade. Olmo whisks her away to a small beach, where they share an intimate moment in the ocean, only for Olmo to leave her in the water while he departs, taking the car with him.

Rebeca’s story follows next. In 1991, her mother, Macarena Lopez, known as “La Maca,” was a punk singer whose biological father remains a mystery. In flashbacks, Macarena performs on stage, heavily pregnant, facing complications during birth. After enduring two surgeries, Macarena meets Víctor Mendoza, who quickly becomes a cherished member of their family, despite the disquieting descent into madness that follows as voices invade Macarena’s mind, leading to her voluntary commitment. In the absence of her mother, Víctor steps in as Rebeca’s primary caregiver.

The narrative shifts back to 1939, where two children, Jacinto Mendoza and Julieta, are evacuated to Russia during the war. Their journey leads them to become KGB agents and start a family with two sons, Víctor and Olmo, who are eventually raised in Russia. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, they relocate to Lloret, Spain, where Olmo finds employment with Marc’s late grandfather. Meanwhile, Jacinto and Julieta purchase an extravagant villa on Denia’s beach.

Marc reflects on his mother Nuria’s career as an editor, recalling her excitement over a manuscript by a new novelist, Amaia Zugaza. The two share a passionate connection, culminating in a beach rendezvous and an affair in the ocean. Olmo, seeking a turning point in his life, encounters Amaia in Madrid, sparking a fresh chapter for them both, as they head to the farmhouse in the red BMW.

As events unfold, 8-year-old Rebeca begins to visit her mother, revealing that she hears a male voice expressing discontent about not being her real mother. Both Victor and Olmo marry, bringing their lives and destinies together: Victor with Macarena and Olmo with Amaia. The poignant wedding scene at the farmhouse captures Marc’s desire to kiss Rebeca—a young moment of infatuation at 14, with Olmo realizing that Nuria is the girl he once rescued. As both couples navigate their connections, Marc’s passionate letter to Rebeca remains unanswered, illustrating the undercurrents of pain and longing.

As the years progress, Amaia’s frustration with Olmo’s enigmatic past grows, yet their physical bond remains intoxicating. Throughout the turmoil, Nuria and Amaia’s relationship flourishes, as Amaia embarks on a dark research journey into the Russian mafia in Spain, revealing buried secrets tied to the tragic death of Nuria’s parents at the hands of the Georgian mafia.

The intensity rises when Rebeca attempts suicide at Olmo’s wedding, leading to a night of intimacy between Rebeca and Olmo. As Marc and Rebeca’s relationship deepens during their university years, they struggle to navigate their entangled pasts, leading to heart-wrenching confrontations and an eventual breakup sparked by the crushing weight of their shared history.

In the present, as tensions between families brew and secrets unfold, Marc, filled with grief, drives towards reconciliation. Rebeca challenges Viktor on their family’s murky past, leading to a shocking revelation tied to the choices made to save her life as a child. This intertwining fate culminates as olmo and Rebeca find their way back to one another amidst the sorrow and reckoning.

Ultimately, as the characters converge near the Mendoza villa, destinies collide dramatically. In the gripping culmination of their journey, lines blur between love, sacrifice, and redemption, leaving them grappling with the repercussions of their actions as Marc steps into the waves of the ocean with Rebeca, their lives forever changed. The story ends with the haunting reminder of what binds them together, even against the backdrop of tumultuous family legacies and personal truths.