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One night. Four broken souls. One child watching everything.

The Tree (2020)

gritty poetryinterwoven fatesCape Town noir

Overview

In a small section of inner-city Cape Town, Chantal, a fugitive addict loses track of her child, Jona, when she leaves him behind all alone to turn one final trick. Dawid, a frustrated cop faces up to the demons from a traumatic childhood. Samiah, a young nurse clings to a disintegrating bubble of fantasy that shields her from facing life on life’s terms. Aphiwe, an up-and-coming art director in a crumbling relationship, is confronted by his fear of connection as he looks for salvation beyond his impenetrable personal boundaries. In a city wracked by conflict, contradiction and harsh battles for survival, the four main characters each discover surprising and profound truths about their purposes as human beings through their inextricable connections to others. Fear meets hope. Anger meets love. Loss meets meaning. One night, one city, four lives changed forever and bound together by the unblinking gaze of an innocent child.

Flag of ZAZAaf
Content warning
interconnectionredemption through sufferingchildhood innocence as witnessurban survival

Standout Aspects

Acting

Wyngaard and Lombard devastate in their desperation.

Direction

Venter weaves four narratives like a seasoned pro.

Cinematography

Cape Town becomes a character—beautiful and brutal.

Best for:Solo: Late night when you want to feel something deeply uncomfortable.·Streaming: Small screen intimacy actually helps the claustrophobic Cape Town streets.
Heads up:Drug Use: Realistic depiction of addiction and sex work.·Violence: Child endangerment is central to the plot.
Louw Venter

Director

Louw Venter

ReleasedSep 4, 2020
Runtime1h 15m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Paceslow
Intensityhigh
Tonedark
Feelheavy

Top Cast

Tarryn Wyngaard

Tarryn Wyngaard

Inge Beckmann

Inge Beckmann

Armand Aucamp

Armand Aucamp

Niza Jay Ncoyini

Niza Jay Ncoyini

Ask about The Tree

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Shot in Salt River and Woodstock, neighborhoods undergoing rapid gentrification—the film captures a vanishing Cape Town.

Insight

Venter structured the 75-minute runtime to mirror a single night, with real-time sections that make the convergences feel fated rather than scripted.

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