Tree (2007/I)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Michael R. Steinbeck

Writers:

Bill Elverman (screenplay)
Bill Elverman (story)

Genre:

Short | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

I'm seeing my inglorious end...

Plot:

After a recent tragedy, Tom Brueggeman and his family move to the old farm where they discover a large...

Plot Keywords:

Supernatural | Independent Film

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Bill Elverman	...	Tom Brueggeman
Kate Berry	...	Ellie Brueggeman
Avery Laine	...	Katie Brueggeman
Jeff Garretson	...	John Ellison
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Calnin	...	Karen Hayes
Bill Porps	...	Richard Krisky
Matt Staudemeyer	...	Jed
Matt Taylor	...	Don Simmons / Hank Crockett (voice)

Runtime:

USA:46 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Filming Locations:

Hebron, Illinois, USA

Company:

Drop Shadow Productions

Quotes:

Tom Brueggeman: More and more intense. Every day I am seeing the future. I am seeing my glorious end. The tree is telling me the story of my death.

Nice Short with some fine acting

I liked Tree. The production was fairly sophisticated for what appears to be limited resources. I thought the performances were by and large very nice. Always difficult to get good performances out of children as well. Settings and locations were nicely chosen and photographed.

I have two criticisms that detracted somewhat from my overall enjoyment of the film. The first is a longer-than-necessary run time. My personal feeling is that this dogs many an Indy film. I think judicious editing could have kept me more engaged in the story, which, while interesting, is not nuanced enough to deserve a long running time.. The second is the too-dark night shots, which again I see in many low-budget films. A couple of well-placed lights with cookies can do wonders to create a night-time mood, instead of just black/grey, low-contrast darkness filling the frame.

But a commendable effort all in all.