The Living Tree (2026)

Buffalo 8’s The Living Tree is written by, directed by, and co-starring Anthony J. James in a science fiction story about the prospect of artificial intelligence controlling your entire surroundings.  When Noah, played by James, and Anabelle, played by Brey Noelle, move into a new place that is unknowingly controlled by artificial intelligence, they must navigate ten challenges in order to escape.

It is currently the year 2026 as of the writing of this article. The prospect of an artificial intelligence putting innocent people through a Saw style series of painful challenges and riddles which connect deeply to their personal lives feels all too possible, and for that reason, films like this are valuable. The next question, however, is whether this scenario feels plausible. Throughout almost the entire runtime, the goal of the artificial intelligence seems to be mere torture. Eventually the audience is informed of the real reason why the main characters are put through these trials, but it takes some thinking to understand why this was the computer’s preferred method of achieving that goal. Still, the movie has something prescient to say about letting a software that is constantly learning control our every function.

Probably the most compelling element of the film are the scenarios that the two main characters are put through. These are clever, imaginative concepts that take advantage of the surroundings while rarely stretching the imagination. The solutions to these challenges usually require ingenuity, and the act of solving them is difficult enough that it naturally creates tension. The musical score helps, hitting beats that amplify the mood of the scene without feeling generic. It doesn’t overwhelm the scene by trying to be unique, it just services the moment.

James and Noelle perform at a minimum, well, and at maximum, very compelling. This may not be John Malkovich in Wild Horse Nine, but it may be unreasonable to expect that. These two perform their roles in a very realistic way, avoiding too many instances of exaggeration, and without any instances of flat delivery. They carry the movie to the finish line.