Trees Lounge (1996)

“Everybody’s fucked up, but nobody wants anybody else to think they are, but everybody knows they are anyway,” states Tommy Basilio (Steve Buscemi) in Trees Lounge.  This line aptly describes all of the colorful characters in the film, most of all the protagonist, Tommy.  Trees Lounge, Buscemi’s debut as writer/director of a feature-length film in which he also triples as the lead actor, is completely underrated.  Largely well-reviewed by critics of all sorts, this is clearly a film that suffered from a lack of distribution and not being seen by enough audiences.  This was one of the best indie films I have seen and has definitely become a contender for one of my favorite films. (more…)