Get it watched: Trees Lounge

I was almost afraid to revisit Steve Buscemi’s small but perfectly formed directorial debut. So many movies loom large in our memories only to crash to the earth when we see them in the light of our various terrible awakenings. Since Trees Lounge, we’ve had 9/11, extreme porn on tap, the election of Donald Trump and most recently, an ideology that sacrifices women and children on the altar of male comfort. It’s a lot for a little film to overcome.

But to my huge relief, it still stands up, and jaded as I am, it inspires the same feelings in me as it did when it came out in 1996. I think Buscemi’s film is a masterpiece: funny, authentic, deeply melancholic and romantic in a sloppy way. But finally, when it matters, it sobers up so suddenly and terribly that it takes your breath away.

Highly recommended. Get it watched.