Sundance Review: 'Bob and the Trees' Directed by Diego Ongaro

How much is the cost of lumber nowadays? What's the harm in a broken wood chipper, or a sick cow? If there's a termite infestation in a few trees what's the big deal? On their own these things don't seem like they have the interest level to make for much of a big screen drama, but that they somehow make for compelling entertainment in Diego Ongaro's Bob and the Trees is a credit to him and the central performance by star Bob Tarasuk.

Set in the dense logging community of rural Massachusetts, the film centers on 50-year-old Bob (Tarasuk), a hardworking logger who has been in the trade for years. But for all his experience the industry is beginning to pass him by. The younger guys know how to market themselves using the Internet while Bob relies on word of mouth. His experience is great but it doesn't pay the bills, and with an already harsh economic climate out there it seems everything is standing in the way of his success. Against the wishes of his headstrong but whip-smart employee Matt (Matt Gallagher), Bob takes on an expensive and risky logging job that could pay off if successful, or sink them if a failure.

What begins to unfold is, in some ways, like a smaller, more docile version of A Most Violent Year where a businessman faces all kinds of moral hurdles to claim his slice of the American Dream. While you won't find much in the way of violence, and no real organized crime element to speak of, there's the sense that something not quite on the up and up is taking place in this small, unassuming town. One of Bob's cows is gashed by an unknown assailant; a virus is attacking the farm animals, and one of the younger local loggers seems to have an agenda.  Ongaro skillfully explores the crumbling of the middle and working class through Bob's insightful, often confrontational interactions with Matt, who is more of a realist than a dreamer.

While this could be seen as just another slow-moving indie "slice of life" drama, it plays with our expectations in fun and unpredictable ways. The greatest contrast comes from Bob himself who relaxes to the sounds of gangsta rap (DMX is a favorite, apparently) and has a silly streak a mile long. As the pressure begins to mount we see some of the light within him begin to fade and a more combative side emerge. Tarasuk starred in Ongaro's short film that inspired this feature length version, and he's perfectly in tune with the material and the life it depicts. His portrayal is sympathetic and honest, which extends to the rest of the cast and the film itself. What it doesn't have is any real central conflict, and while one wouldn't expect a fast-paced thriller out of a film like this the lack of urgency is a problem. We're still talking about a subject most people aren't going to want to go out on a limb for, and the relaxed approach Ongaro takes can make Bob and the Trees more mundane that it actually is.

Rating: 3 out of 5