Review: Moody crime drama ‘Barren Trees’ gets lost in complex narrative
The New England-set crime drama “Barren Trees,” co-directed and co-written by Ryan Eatherton and Lei Zhenchuan is far more a tone poem than gripping saga. The snowy, small-town setting of rural New Hampshire offers a moody geographical and cultural backdrop to a tale of two aimless assassins.
Eatherton stars as Derek, a low-life hitman type, who convinces his friend Eddie (George Walter Hooker IV) to road trip to New Hampshire for a job. They share a dark past, and the taciturn Eddie needs the money to pay for his mom’s funeral so he agrees to go along.
Eatherton is an interesting actor, embodying the essence of a Boston hood, and Hooker has a compelling presence. Their wanderings around rural New Hampshire, peppered with philosophical conversations and stargazing are the most promising parts of the film, while the plotting around the revenge and hit job suffers.
“Barren Trees” attempts to pull off a looping narrative that detours for about an hour and thirty minutes into the film before circling back to tie up the loose ends. Instead of offering intrigue, it’s just clunky and confusing, as characters are introduced and dropped and new characters pick up the tale. The primary characters and setting of “Barren Trees” are solid, but the overly complicated storytelling falters.
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‘Barren Trees’
Not rated
Running time: 1 hour, 39 minutes
Playing: Arena Cinelounge, Hollywood
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