The Tree (2020)
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.
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So much average
Simply Perfect
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.