BEST SOUTH AUSTRALIAN STUDENT SHORT FILM
Edward Has A Tree Inside Him
Kristoffer Lucia | 2023 | 17m | Australia | Australian (Live-Action), South Australian, SA Student, Director
A young woman is thrust into a caretaking role after her boyfriend is diagnosed with a unique illness...
Credits
Director & Writer
Kristoffer Lucia
Producer
Kristoffer Lucia
Genevieve Brandenburg
Cast
Tayla Cecere
Daniel Millar
Interview with director Kristoffer Lucia
1. What was one of the most challenging moments you faced while making Edward Has A Tree Inside Him? Did this ‘setback’ change the direction of the final story?
The biggest setback we faced was multiple COVID illnesses during the first stage of shooting. The rescheduling that followed meant several actors were no longer available, not only due to COVID but also because of other scheduling conflicts. To overcome this, I rewrote characters to suit the new casting, reshaping the story to allow everyone to shine. While it was a challenge, it ultimately pushed the film in new directions that added depth and freshness to the final piece.
2. What was the biggest inspiration behind Edward Has A Tree Inside Him?
The tone, aesthetics, and story were inspired by films such as A Ghost Story, Melancholia, and The Shape of Water. On a practical and creative level, I was influenced by Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew and the Dogme 95 movement. The project was designed as an experiment in how a film could be made when one person takes on all of the lead creative crew roles. I have enormous gratitude for the crew who supported such a stressful and indulgent endeavour.
3. What message do you want the audience to take away from Edward Has A Tree Inside Him?
I didn’t set out to deliver a singular message. The story grew out of entering my thirties, with the two main characters representing the death of one’s twenties and the transition toward the aging experience of one’s forties. If audiences walk away reflecting on aging, change, or even just thinking about the story at all, I consider that a success.
Review
Written by Jack McKenzie
Flinders University Bachelor of Creative Industries (Film and Television) Student
Edward Has a Tree Inside Him, directed by Kristoffer Lucia, is a striking and emotionally resonant short that explores love, mortality, and the slow transformation that comes with growing older. The film stands out for its poetic storytelling and sensitive portrayal of a relationship tested by a surreal and symbolic sickness, winning it the Best SA Student award.
It follows a young woman caring for her boyfriend as he develops a mysterious condition that causes a tree to grow inside him. Rather than leaning on the concept’s strangeness, Lucia uses it as a tender metaphor for change, decay, and acceptance. The story’s emotional weight comes not from spectacle, but from the quiet, human moments between its characters.
The film’s visual language is particularly impressive. Lucia’s direction demonstrates a refined eye for composition and texture, soft, natural lighting and grounded colour palettes, creating an intimate world that feels both real and dreamlike. The gradual imagery of growth within the human body is handled with restraint and elegance, allowing symbolism to flourish without overwhelming the narrative. The sound design, subtle and organic, enhances the film’s meditative quality, echoing the heartbeat of life and time.
The performances from Tayla Cecere as Zoe and Daniel Millar as Edward are nuanced and believable, the journey of their characters moving from confusion to compassion, grounding the film emotionally. Cecere’s portrayal captures the weight of responsibility and love in equal measure, making the surreal premise feel deeply human.
Overall, Edward Has a Tree Inside Him is a beautifully realised meditation on ageing, change, and love’s quiet endurance, its Best SA Student win thoroughly deserved.