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Dec 05, 2016 By Austin Trunick Web Exclusive

Francois is a Canadian entrepreneur who runs a holiday stall on the corner of 102^nd Street, across Broadway from a former Radio Shack. Each November he says goodbye to his wife and children, packs up his van, and drives hundreds of miles to Manhattan to wait for a shipment of Christmas trees from down south. From Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, Francois sells his trees to Upper West-siders; meanwhile his small staff, returning customers, and fellow “Tree People” serve as a sort of second family as he spends the season far away from home.

Tree Man works best as a glimpse inside a world hidden before our very eyes – especially to New Yorkers, for whom the sidewalk tree vendors are an everyday sight during the holiday season. Who’d have thought that so many of their friendly tree sellers came from so far away, or spent that month sleeping in their vehicles (in the few hours they weren’t braving such harsh temperatures)? Tree Man also profiles several of Francois’ fellow vendors. Each one hints at a fascinating back story, and feels deserving of their own entire documentary.

Somewhat disappointingly, though, is that the film feels like an incomplete portrait of its subject, Francois. By the documentary’s end there are basic and seemingly obvious questions about the man left unanswered, many getting at exactly why he’s chosen this life and profession for himself. How did he become a tree vendor, and if it’s such a sacrifice to leave his family for a month over Christmas, why does he continue to do it? What does he do the rest of the year, and aren’t there other seasonal jobs for him out there? These open questions don’t ruin what’s a heartwarming holiday documentary, but it will leave many audience members feeling as if they haven’t been shown the whole picture.

www.treemanfilm.com

Author rating: 5.5/10