Directed by Kat Gueli, The Tributaries is an emotional indie drama about love, loss, and the unseen mental health struggles people face. Anchored by strong performances from Catharine Daddario and Sky Nelson, the film follows two young adults whose unlikely friendship leads to an unexpected bond shaped by grief and mental illness.
Robbie (Daddario) is a college student forced to balance the demands of school while caring for her ailing mother, Debbie (Shannan Wilson). Often, she uses school as an excuse to escape the responsibilities a child has toward a sick parent. Robbie’s life takes an unexpected turn when she runs into her philosophy classmate, Drew (Nelson), who offers her a CD with a special curated playlist as an awkward attempt at connection. Their first encounters are tense and quirky, but ultimately Drew’s persistence wins him a first date — on the condition that Robbie drives.
Unknown to Robbie, Drew struggles with manic depression and is dependent on a cocktail of medications that cause unpredictable behavior. When Robbie arrives for their date, he’s too unstable to go out, having just changed his psych meds. The next day, he opens up to Robbie about his father’s suicide and the fear that he may have inherited his father’s mental illness. Their relationship begins to deepen as Drew introduces Robbie to a special place that holds memories of his father, prompting her to finally share the painful truth about her mother’s condition.
As their emotional walls crumble, both Robbie and Drew realize that while their feelings for one another might be genuine, falling in love might only complicate their fragile lives. Robbie is constantly guilted into familial duties by her father and grandmother, while Drew navigates the chaos of his everyday life. Things change for the better and worse when Robbie witnesses one of Drew’s manic episodes.
Catharine Daddario and Sky Nelson share a quiet, emotional moment in The Tributaries, a film about love, loss, and mental health.
“…Drew’s persistence wins him a first date — on the condition that Robbie drives.”
I’ll be honest. I didn’t think I’d respond to The Tributaries, but I did. The moment that Drew and Robbie meet for the first time was pretty cringeworthy—especially when Drew starts dancing to Hanson’s “Mmmbop.” Then it all changes when we learn Drew’s secret and see how it affects Robbie’s relationship with her mother.
If you or someone close to you has ever been involved with mental illness and the massive amount of prescription medication it can take to find some emotional balance… well, if you know, you know. In Drew, we experience the ups and downs—the manic and the depression. You know how thoughtful and insightful someone like Drew can be, and at the same time, you know what’s brewing when suddenly that person doesn’t show up or feels like they’re turning on you.
Now add Robbie, who is losing her mother and has a hard time knowing how to cope with it. She is mourning the good times that once were, while not knowing the exact words to say. Much credit to Justin Portaro and Kat Gueli’s script for finding a way to work Robbie and Drew’s stories together. More credit for handling a complicated situation in a way that honors the characters and brings much-needed empathy and levity at the right times.
As Drew, Sky Nelson puts in the hard work to create a character that is authentic and honors those with mental health issues, and to Catherine Daddario for carrying the narrative weight as she responds to every situation the story throws at her emotionally.
The Tributaries ultimately succeeds because it captures the messiness of grief, the unpredictability of mental illness, and the fragile hope that two broken people might find in one another. Thanks to thoughtful writing and grounded performances from its leads, The Tributaries finds a quiet strength in its honesty.
"…captures the messiness of grief..."
