The Tree

Inspired by the friendship between the director's mother and her best friend, The Tree is a poignant, heartwarming story about 88-year-old widow Dorothy Thorp (Joicie Appell), who takes a road trip from Wamego, Kan., through Missouri, to her hometown of Terre Haute, Ind., for a visit with her oldest and dearest childhood friend. “The Tree” covers three days in the life of Dorothy as she considers how best to navigate the certainties of declining health and loneliness in her advancing years. (St. Louis International Film Festival)