Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
Trees Lounge
Venerable character actor Steve Buscemi steps behind the camera in this profound study of a lonely, alcoholic, and unemployed mechanic.
Director: Steve Buscemi
Overview
Steve Buscemi writes, directs, and stars in this offbeat dramedy about a man at crossroads. Unemployed and recently single, Tommy (Buscemi) finds solace in his neighbourhood bar Trees Lounge. Thinking of how to quit drinking and get a new job, Tommy witnesses the other self-destructive sad sacks of his life and how they get by. It’s up to Tommy to get out of his rut – but will the bottle help?
Trees Lounge is a darkly funny drama that is drenched in the wit and insight Buscemi brings to each of his roles and is American Independent cinema at its most observed and true. Buscemi assembled an impressive ensemble cast for his debut, including Mark Boone Junior, Chloë Sevigny, and Samuel L. Jackson. It’s funny, it’s tragic, but altogether it’s human and moving. Fans of Buscemi’s performances won’t want to miss his sincere and original project.
Related
The Rules of Attraction The Rules of Attraction
Comedy 2002 111 mins Director: Roger Avary
Exuberant adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel, about a group of beautiful, wealthy and self-absorbed students tearing it up at college.
Palindromes Palindromes
Comedy 2004 100 mins Director: Todd Solondz
Todd Solondz’s casting of eight different actors of varying ages, genders and races to play the lead role of Aviva, makes for a truly original film.
20th Century Women 20th Century Women
Drama 2016 118 mins Director: Mike Mills
Annette Bening stars as a mum enlisting two friends (Greta Gerwig and Elle Fanning) to help her son navigate adolescence in Mike Mills’s comedy-drama.
The Ice Storm The Ice Storm
Comedy 1997 113 mins Director: Ang Lee
An impressive ensemble cast populate Ang Lee’s riveting portrait of family life in 1970s America.
Chicken Town Chicken Town
Comedy 2025 90 mins Director: Richard Bracewell
Two old schoolfriends join forces with an elderly neighbour to fence a shed full of weed, in this sprightly, easy-going British comedy.
Parasite Parasite
Drama 2019 132 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
Bong Joon Ho's Oscar®-winning box-office sensation is a darkly comic, twisty rollercoaster ride.
Swimming Pool Swimming Pool
Drama 2003 102 mins Director: François Ozon
A crime novelist seeks peace but gets a dangerous muse in this twisted bilingual thriller from François Ozon.
Dogtooth Dogtooth
Drama 2009 93 mins Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos' scary, witty tale of a dysfunctional Greek family is original, ingenious and sadly relevant as a study of parent-child relationships
Memories of Murder Memories of Murder
Detective drama 2003 131 mins Director: Bong Joon-ho
A pair of detectives clash trying to solve the brutal murders of two women, in Bong Joon Ho’s masterful blend of true crime and dark social satire.
Insomnia Insomnia
Thriller 2002 118 mins Director: Christopher Nolan
Al Pacino shines in Christopher Nolan’s smart psychological thriller about a weary detective chasing a murder suspect in remote Alaska.
Manhunter Manhunter
Crime 1986 124 mins Director: Michael Mann
Michael Mann’s chilling and stylish adaptation of Thomas Harris’ bestseller introduced Hannibal Lecktor to cinema audiences for the first time.
The Piano Teacher The Piano Teacher
Drama 2001 131 mins Director: Michael Haneke
Isabelle Huppert’s turn as a woman disturbed yet consumed by her own desires has lost none of its gut-punching torment, in Haneke’s unsettling drama.
The House of Mirth The House of Mirth
Drama 2001 140 mins Director: Terence Davies
Terence Davies and Gillian Anderson take us to the epitome of heartbreak in a visually intoxicating adaptation of Edith Wharton’s era-defining novel.
Ashes and Diamonds Ashes and Diamonds
War 1958 99 mins Director: Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda’s best-known, visually remarkable film starring Zbigniew Cybulski.
A Generation A Generation
War 1955 85 mins Director: Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda’s feature directorial debut is a portrait of Polish underground fighters during the Second World War.
Swallow Swallow
Drama 2019 95 mins Director: Carlo Mirabella-Davis
When newly-wed housewife Hunter becomes pregnant, her cravings threaten to destroy her perfect life in Carlo Mirabella-Davis's psychological thriller.
Odyssey Odyssey
Thriller 2025 111 mins Director: Gerard Johnson
Gerard Johnson (Hyena, Muscle) delivers a frenzied London thriller about an estate agent under intense pressure and out of her depth.
Kanal Kanal
War 1956 93 mins Director: Andrzej Wajda
Wajda’s harrowing portrait of resistance fighters forced to flee the German army via Warsaw’s sewage system is one of his finest achievements.