The Tree is a 2001 Singaporean supernatural-mystery drama film directed by Daisy Chan, starring Zoe Tay, Francis Ng, Phyllis Quek, Tse Kwan Ho and Deng Mao Hui. Produced by Mediacorp Raintree Pictures,[1] the film was shot entirely in Singapore over 28 days[2] with a production budget of S$1.1 million.[3] It was released in Singapore cinemas on 26 April 2001.[2]
Plot
Lin Zixiong (Zheng Geping) dies after being hit by a car, and the only witness seems to be his stepson "Popiah" (Deng Mao Hui), a quiet young boy with no friends besides a gigantic tree. Police investigator Jiang Liangxing (Phyllis Quek) becomes convinced the driver was Lin's wife Guo Meifeng (Zoe Tay), whose first husband Xie Wenguang (Tse Kwan-ho) disappeared 5 years ago. Meanwhile, Jiang's boyfriend and pathologist Wu Chongzhe (Francis Ng) discovers a mysterious fungus in Lin's heart. He also befriends Popiah and learns that Lin had sexually abused him. Perhaps the answer to everything lies in the gigantic tree...
Cast
Deng Maohui as Xie Qingyu, a child nicknamed "Popiah"
Soh Yun-Huei gave the film 1/2 out of 4 stars, writing the film meant to blend "suspense, melodrama and romance together, but the end results are lumpy and unsatisfying".[4]
^ abKhoo, Evelyn (12 March 2001). "Zoe's movie debut". The Straits Times. p. 4. Retrieved 27 June 2016 – via NewspaperSG. ...Raintree Pictures' The Tree, scheduled to be released on April 26...The movie, which was shot entirely in Singapore over 28 days, hopes to make an impact at the box office.
^Chan, Fiona (14 April 2001). "Boy steals show". The Straits Times. p. 3. Retrieved 27 June 2016 – via NewspaperSG. With a production budget of $1.1 million, The Tree carries with it the hopes of the Singapore movie industry, said Mr Yun, who is also Raintree Pictures' chief executive officer.
