I had low expectations for 'Dream Stall' movie by Annette Lee, but it was much better than I thought

I confess, I haven't been keeping up with the local movie scene recently.

So I was a little surprised to see a director offering refunds if her audience didn't like the movie.

"Dream Stall" is the directorial debut of local singer-songwriter, actress and now filmmaker, Annette Lee. She also stars in the movie, along veteran actors Mark Lee, Cassandra See and Ya Hui, and the familiar faces of Xixi Lim and Jaspers Lai.

Lee plays Enya, a recent university graduate who returns to Singapore to try to save the bak kut teh stall once operated by her late mother. However, she clashes with her father (Mark Lee), who doesn't want the life of a hawker for her.

With Lee offering refunds in case anyone felt they had "wasted their time," I decided not to set my hopes too high.

If worst comes to worst, I could head down to *SCAPE Gallery on Jun. 5 and ask for my money back.

The movie

"Dream Stall" starts with a young Enya fondly recalling the time spent in her parents' bak kut teh stall after school, supping on the delicious pork rib soup as she does her homework.

It's not a grand restaurant with air-con, double doors and tablecloths, it's more of a one-step up from a roadside cart affair, with those big round tables, rickety stools and a noisy cash register up front.

But the dish holds special significance for Enya, as her mother (Lynn Poh) takes care to show her how it's made, from choosing the pork ribs to adding the right amount of pepper.

Unfortunately, tragedy strikes and her mother dies of a heart attack. Her father carries stoically on, working long hours in tough conditions to afford Enya's education in the UK.

Like any good Singaporean daughter should, she breezes through her studies and returns having made her father proud. But it's her mother's memory she wishes to honour instead.

You & Me, the bak kut teh stall that was her mother's life, will be lost forever now that her father wishes to retire (to be replaced by a mala hotpot chain no less).

Instead of finding another job, Enya goes against her dad's wishes to try to save the stall instead. Along the way, she recruits her best friends (Xixi Lim and Jaspers Lai) to try and make her dream work.

But with competition from a rival stall owned by a famous influencer (Cassandra See), and a budding romance with a local food reviewer (Xander Pang), can Enya remain true to her family's principles while navigating the modern F&B industry?

Things I really liked

I have a bad habit of taking out my phone to check messages if the movie is boring. But I didn't do so while watching "Dream Stall." There was none of the cringe-inducing exaggerated acting, overuse of Singlish, or silly slapstick humour I was half-expecting.

Instead, what unfolded was a pleasing story about a woman struggling against all odds to chase her dreams while trying to remain true to herself.

Now I am an absolute sucker for such movies, like "Morning Glory (2010)" or "The Intern (2015)". The plot isn't groundbreaking, but it knows its beats and hits them well. Emotional moments are earned, and our heroine hits her lowest point before finding her way back.

The acting is great too, with Annette Lee holding up well alongside more experienced actors, Xander Pang being believably charming, and Jaspers Lai entertaining me every minute he was on screen.

But what I liked even more was that the movie had something real to say about the pressures of business in the public eye.

Life of an influencer

It's made clear that the stall will go bust without the help of social media-driven marketing. The rival influencer Estella (Cassandra See) has a mini-arc of her own where she bemoans not being "real" and having to commodify her image to make money.

At times, it felt like the "influencer" plot had more focus than the bak kut teh, and one can't help but wonder if this is something that ex-SGAG star Annette Lee would like to examine in further detail, perhaps in another movie.

Movies are best when there is social commentary to go along with the plot, and one can definitely see a glimpse of that in her debut.

It wraps up nicely in the end, with wrongs being put right and the crusty old father accepting his daughter's chosen path in life (that's how you know this is a work of fiction).

Things that could have been better

I get why the saintly mother figure had to be killed off to evoke sympathy, but the grieving father character is a bit overdone. But this is a minor quibble.

I'd also have liked to see Xixi Lim being given more to do than just being the supportive best friend, with perhaps a bit more exploration of her affection for Jaspers Lai's Archie.

Another quibble, however, is something beyond the director's control.

The basic plot of the promising university graduate, who gives up a supposedly stable career to become a hawker, might no longer be too relevant in the age of AI.

Fresh graduates are facing increasing pressure to find jobs that were once available to previous generations.

Who knows, perhaps in just a couple of decades, new viewers of "Dream Stall" will not be able to engage with the basic premise of the plot. Hopefully not, though.

But before that day comes, I'm confident we'll see more directing efforts from Annette Lee. And I won't be asking for a refund.