TEO
AND THE OLIVE TREES
Teo is a boy with the autism syndrome. Isolated in his world, he looks
for shelter in the country where he meets the trees with which he
is able to communicate and becomes friend with them. The form of the
tree suggests him the name. Thus he meets the "Old Wise",
"The solitary", "The proud" and all the other
ones with which he is able to speak and from whom he learns their
wisdom.
While he is talking to “the lovers”, a girl arrives, Gaia;
she has a scarf over her head. He discovers that she doesn't have
any hair because she takes some medication to fight her illness. She
has the ability to converse with the trees like him and her life becomes
entangled with Teo’s. Together they meet other trees and learn
to be tolerant and to accept their condition.
Gaia is obliged to go to the hospital to have surgery on her head.
Teo goes to visit her with his parents following a suggestion by the
Old Wise, who has also recommended to bring her a gift of a sprig
of the tree. The dialog at the hospital hints at the hope of healing:
Teo shows her the photo of a tree that survived the rage of a fire
that burnt almost everything growing in the land and he evokes some
emotions in the adults and succeeds in strengthening the hope of healing
in Gaia.
The waiting for his friend becomes too long and Teo loses every hope
of seeing her again. When his mother finally announces that Gaia is
back, he doesn't want to believe her; he is still secluded in his
world.
His father brings him to the house in the country and suggests to
him to go to the Old Wise. Under the olive tree he sees a girl with
a scarf over her head. He remembers the words of the Old Wise: "Reality
is made of things that you can see… and things that you can’t,
like dreams, desires, fear… ". he thinks that the vision
belongs to the reality he can’t see: Gaia is only in his dream…
Then… the epilogue.
