Trees Lounge

Trees Lounge (1996) is an American indie drama — Steve Buscemi's directorial debut — available to watch online on iFILM. Buscemi also stars as Tommy, a Long Island mechanic who lost his job, his girlfriend, and most of his motivation. His default setting is the barstool at a local dive called Trees Lounge, surrounded by regulars who are, if anything, worse off than he is.

He picks up some money driving his late uncle's ice cream truck through the neighborhood. The route brings him past familiar houses, and among his regulars turns out to be the seventeen-year-old niece of his ex. Things get complicated in ways Tommy is entirely responsible for. Chloe Sevigny, Samuel L. Jackson, Debi Mazar, and Anthony LaPaglia fill out a cast that reads like a 1990s New York indie roll call.

Buscemi directs the way he acts — no wasted gestures, no editorial comment on who Tommy is. The film just watches him drift, and the lack of judgment is what makes it land. Tommy isn't tragic or funny. He's just recognizable. Stream Trees Lounge (1996) online on iFILM.