Make Like a Tree
Set over two decades in the world of trees and bonsai, we track the fiery love affair of a Jewish-American man and a Japanese-American woman.
Drew Denny
Project Overview
For me, trees are the most powerful way to tell a Jewish story. They’ve been the Jewish icon of choice for millennia; from our fourteen holidays celebrating them to their ubiquity in our sacred texts to the gilt memory leaves in the hallways of our temples, trees have been the
comfort food of the soul in our diaspora. It’s why I obsessively focused on them as I built my audience of over 400k on social media under the handle @jewslovetrees. Trees are our secret language.
The trees in our film, romantic comedy Make Like a Tree, are spellbindingly tiny. They’re bonsai trees—built as labors of love by our rootless Jewish protagonist, Vincent Fox. As a young man, Vince finds refuge from his demanding family in the bonsai garden of the grandfather of his eventual soulmate, Hannah Ishii. But as they grow close then suddenly split apart again as adults, it takes the trial of decades, countless failures, and even a heated bonsai competition (yes, these exist) for them to discover the central truth of the film (and the truth so many of us ascribe to in the Diaspora): Eden is not a place, but a person.
Their obsession for each other, for their work, for nature, and for art is something that both Vince and Hannah share, and it’s why they’re meant to be together. After all, isn’t it said of both the Jews and the Japanese that “they’re just like everyone else, only more so”?
It’s our aim for this project to introduce a new Jewish narrative that entertains the hell out of people while expanding upon the theme of Tikkun Olam: it’s not enough to repair the broken earth — we must allow it to repair each other.
As the writer, lead actor, and producer of the film, I’m building on my deep experience and recognition within the Jewish and environmental communities (@jewslovetrees, 400k+ followers), book (Must Love Trees: An Unconventional Guide, Quarto, 2023), and 20+ years as
a performer on stage and screen. Make Like a Tree will be directed by the incomparable Drew Denny, whose work includes Second Nature, a groundbreaking documentary on animal sexuality narrated by Elliot Page and currently touring the country. Our film is in development, anticipating an April 2027 start date on a budget of $2 million with principal photography taking place in Fresno, CA and the surrounding areas. We hope to premiere at
a top-tier festival (Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca) in 2028.
Our collaboration with real-life bonsai artisans and ancient tree experts will make this a beautiful story in dazzling world never seen on screen before that shares the timeless Jewish message of the power of nature, time, and love.