Up the Wrong Tree

The lengths that people will go to in order to win back a past love have been explored ad nauseum in cinema (remember John Cusack lofting that Peter Gabriel-blaring boom box above his head to woo his ex in Say Anything?). This odd Israeli film opens with a grizzled young man named Nitz (Gal Toren) attempting to enter his ex-girlfriend's apartment, ostensibly to visit an elderly dog that the pair raised while a couple. Nitz is unable to gain entrance, but he discovers that a desolate park nearby offers a perfect view of her place, particularly when someone is perched high up in its lone tree. The problem is that a group of environmental activists have taken control of the park to save it from being destroyed by a developer. Nitz joins the group as an interloping antagonizer, spending his days and nights getting drunk and high while unsuccessfully trying to woo back his ex. As the gritty and ultimately tragic details of their failed relationship are revealed, Nitz finds a strange sense of purpose with the activists' cause that almost provides redemption. Up the Wrong Tree is the odd romantic drama that doesn't seem to want its protagonist to win the girl, and—unfortunately—Nitz is a sad, lost screw-up who cannot quite hold viewer empathy. That said, director Gur Bentwich's Up the Wrong Tree is handsomely filmed and was nominated for five Israeli Academy Awards, making it a strong optional purchase. (P. Morehart)