// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Dream Stall sell? Night-mares.
| Dream Stall | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Annette Lee |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Shyan Tan |
| Edited by | Yen Lim |
| Music by | Robbie Say |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | mm2 Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | Singapore |
| Languages | |
| Budget | About S$1 million |
Dream Stall (Chinese: 梦想小店; pinyin: Mèng xiǎng xiǎo diàn) is a Singaporean comedy drama film directed by Annette Lee in her feature film debut. It was released on 27 May 2026. Written by Lee and Kew Lin, the film is about the struggles faced by a returning Singaporean university graduate trying to save her parents' bak kut teh hawker stall, with Lee, Mark Lee, Ya Hui, Xixi Lim, Jaspers Lai, and Xander Pang starring in the main roles.
The movie was released in a time of scepticism from the local audience. To win back trust, she refunded watchers who felt that they "wasted their time" on 5 June.
Plot
[edit]As a child, Enya loved coming to her parents' bak kut teh stall after school. One day, however, her mother collapsed and died while working at the shop, and her father worked at the shop solo. On his birthday, Enya made some bak kut teh for him to try, and stated her desire to continue the shop's legacy, but her father rebuked her and insisted that she should focus on academics.
After graduating from university in the United Kingdom, Enya returns to Singapore and finds out that her father terminated the shop's lease and is planning to retire. The landlord Ah Leong asks for an exorbitant amount to renew the lease; after some consternation, Enya sells her mother's jewellery to fund the cost. She hires her childhood friends, Tammy for marketing and Ah Ji (Archie) for waiting tables, convincing both of them to leave their stable but stifling jobs. Enya and her father get into a fight over her dream and having sold her mother's jewellery, culminating in Enya leaving home and living in Ah Ji's home.
Business gets off to a bad start when Ah Leong, encouraged by Enya's father, rents the neighbouring stall to a rival bak kut teh restaurant branded with the face of famous actress Estella Tsai. Despite bad service, Estella's restaurant proves popular due to savvy promotional tricks. Enya, however, gets her first customer, Preston, who appreciates the homemade food. When Preston asks her out, though, she throws away the slip with his number on it. However, as business gets worse, the team looks for food influencers who didn't go to Estella's and discovers that Preston was actually a content creator, known for his honesty and refusal of sponsored content.
After Enya digs through the trash to get back in contact, they go on a date, where she fakes interest in his favourite film, Yi Yi, in order to advance their relationship and bag a showcase video. She makes up some lies in the interview, saying that her father supported her business. After Preston's interview is published, business starts to boom and Enya gained more interest in Preston. However, as its popularity grows, her business became more commercialized and less human, leading to Ah Ji and Tammy quitting and Ah Ji kicking out Enya. She goes to Preston, but when he plays Yi Yi and she doesn't recognize it, he realizes her lies and kicks her out as well. Meanwhile, Estella's manager, Doreen, puts photos of Preston and Enya on a date in the media to discredit her.
Desolate, Enya spends the night in her restaurant, and meets Estella, who vents her frustration of having to maintain her persona, divulging her regret that she passed up the opportunity to be with her dying father for her breakthrough role. Revitalized, Enya returns to her father, who reveals that his inadvertent meeting with Preston earlier made him realize the importance of Enya's dreams[dubious – discuss] and that he had secretly helped her by supplying handmade youtiao. Enya sends some bak kut teh, letters and relevant gifts to Ah Ji, Tammy and Preston to win back their trust. Ah Ji and Tammy agree to return, and the restaurant gets another boost after Estella closes "her" stall and promotes theirs on social media. On her father's birthday, Enya, Ah Ji and Tammy dine with him again. Preston makes a surprise appearance and offers to take her out again; with encouragement from everyone else, she hops on his motorcycle and rides away with him.
Cast
[edit]- Annette Lee as Enya[a]
- Mark Lee as Enya's father
- Ya Hui as Estella
- Xixi Lim as Tammy
- Jaspers Lai as Ah Ji (Archie)[b]
- Cassandra See as Doreen, Estella's manager
- Xander Pang as Preston
- Jack Neo as Ah Leong, the landlord[2]
- Hossan Leong as a restaurant manager[2]
- Lynn Poh as Enya's mother[3][better source needed]
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]In 2022, Anthony Chen, a Singaporean film director, suggested to Lee to create a comedy movie,[4] similar to the American comedy Bridesmaids,[5] making her revisit her desire in university of making a movie;[4] Lee studied digital filmmaking[6] at the Nanyang Technological University's School of Art Design and Media.[7] Lee took about 1.5 years to finalise writing the script.[8] In 2025, Lee announced she would be producing Dream Stall.[9] It was produced on a budget of just under S$1 million, which partially comprised government funding, investors, and sponsors.[10]
The movie was inspired by Lee's own artistic journey and difficulties of young Singaporeans pursuing unorthodox careers,[4] and the definition of success in Singapore's pragmatic society.[9] Through hosting Adventure of the Day, a food show, Lee was also inspired by passionate young Singaporeans who pursued being a hawker despite having degrees or better job opportunities.[11] It celebrated Singaporean culture and she hopes that it provokes thoughts about the speed of erosion of Singaporean culture, such as in cuisine and film.[2]
Pre-production
[edit]Lee was supported by multiple people in the industry, such as Mark Lee, who reached out quickly upon news of production.[10] In a casting call promotional skit, Lee jokingly denounced Jack Neo by saying that movie-making is unprofitable for everybody except Neo, and that she wanted to make a more successful movie than Neo.[10] Neo responded that he would help Lee in any non-monetary way, grieving the lack of new filmmaking talents in Singapore, who eventually cameoed as the greedy landlord in the movie.[10]
Filming
[edit]Production started on 8 October 2025.[4] It was partially filmed in Malaysia,[12] as it was hard to find an affordable and suitable place in Singapore according to Lee.[13] The movie used Singlish, which she hoped to normalise by widening the local movie scene,[13] and was filmed in English and Mandarin.[14][11] It also used Hokkien, such as in some scenes with Enya's father.[8] It is classified as a comedy-drama film.[11][15]
Some members of the public were recruited to view trial recordings and give feedback, which the movie used for iterative improvement.[8]
Post-production
[edit]Lee wrote and performed two songs, Strangers' Land and Better Than Yours (The Bak Kut Teh Song).[14] Better Than Yours (The Bak Kut Teh Song) was co-sang with Jenn Chia.[‡ 1] The movie included a piece of music from Money No Enough by Jack Neo, as an expression of respect.[16]
Release
[edit]Dream Stall, which was Lee's debut film,[13] first released at The Star Theatre on 21 May 2026 as a gala.[‡ 2] It was released in Singaporean cinemas on 27 May 2026,[13] and was also shown in Malaysia and Brunei.[10] It was distributed by mm2 Entertainment.[9]
It was released when cinema attendance was dwindling and locally produced films faced increasing dismissal;[2] a discussion on HardwareZone, an internet forum, had already formed by 11 May which expressed hate for her and her film.[8] Lee attributed the attitude possibly to past bad experiences with local films,[17] and believed that local filmmakers must regain audience trust.[2] As such,[2] she promised to refund watchers that felt that they "wasted their time".[14] Internet users commended her certainty and eagerness to vouch for her work.[17] Twelve people showed up[13] at the feedback session at *SCAPE on 5 June 2026,[14] of which only one person was refunded, after his criticism of its filming location in Malaysia despite the story being set in Singapore, unnatural humour, and use of Singlish and the Singaporean accent.[13]
It was eligible for the SG Cultural Pass,[17] a scheme which provided Singaporeans S$100 of credits to encourage attendance of local arts and experiences.[18]
Critical reception
[edit]Tay Yek Keak of 8days wrote that despite Dream Stall being about legacy food continuation, it was not a food movie, but a movie about the stubborn insistence and lack of compromise from Enya, quoting Generation Z defiance.[12] He also commended Dream Stall for being an English-speaking Singaporean film that was not too pretentious or ambitious.[12]
Chai Yee Wei, a Singaporean filmmaker, wrote on Facebook to stop comparing local films against foreign films, after reading a harsh review of the movie.[10] He commended the film, comparing it with the other films released in the same period of Singaporean film history.[10]
Zhong Yanling of Lianhe Zaobao compared the setting of the movies, with Dream Stall's café to Follow Aunty La's[c] kopitiam, saying that Dream Stall felt "smoother".[20] Zhong wrote that the film excelled in pacing, subtle sponsor insertions, and use of an everyday hawker premise to propel the story, and that it was promising for a debut film.[20] However, Zhong also wrote that it was shallow and not emotionally moving, quoting the superficiality of Enya's "setbacks" and being "out-of-touch" at its core, with its overbearing use of nostalgia.[20]
Lin Jiahao of 8world wrote that the film felt local and homely, quoting the filming locations and use of bak kut teh, and the friendships and disagreements in the movie.[1] Lin wrote that it was a change of pace from Lee's usual short-paced humorous videos online, as she chose to shoot more realistic and serious scenes, which moviegoers may not be used to seeing, and that it was promising for a debut film.[1] However, Lin also wrote that the plot was predictable and the characters were not expanded on enough.[1]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]Secondary sources
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 林, 家豪 (17 July 2026). "《梦想小店》 用肉骨茶"熬出"梦想与亲情". vibes by 8world. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tseng, Douglas (5 June 2026). "Annette Lee On Dream Stall, Jack Neo's Cameo, And The 8days Easter Egg You Probably Missed". 8days. Archived from the original on 17 June 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Daud, Sulaiman (2 June 2026). "I had low expectations for 'Dream Stall' movie by Annette Lee, but it was much better than I thought". mothership.sg. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Soh, Joanne (9 October 2025). "Content creator Annette Lee's film-making debut: Sleepless nights over her 'second baby'". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 9 October 2025. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ "本地网红李安首导电影《梦想小店》 欲推翻'新加坡是梦想终结地'". China Press (in Chinese (China)). 9 June 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- ↑ Chong, Seow Wei (10 June 2023). "Actress and musician Annette Lee is made for the stage". Tatler Asia. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ↑ Goh, Joanna (2 October 2017). "The secret life of an SGAG writer: Annette Lee". Toggle. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Chua, Kristy (22 May 2026). "Annette Lee says intimate scene with Xander Pang in new film required 11 takes: 'From physically aroused to awkward to guilty to comedy back to romance'". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 3 July 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Lui, John (27 May 2025). "Singapore content creator Annette Lee to write and direct first feature film". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 6 June 2026. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hong, Sophie (3 July 2026). "Annette Lee is very serious about comedy". Her World Singapore. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Chua, Kristy (9 October 2025). "Annette Lee directs and plays lead role in her first feature film, unveils Ya Hui and Adrian Pang's son Xander as part of cast". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 22 May 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Tay, Yek Keak (27 May 2026). "Dream Stall Review: Local Multihyphenate Annette Lee Serves Up A Tasty Directorial Debut". 8days. Archived from the original on 18 June 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ang, Benson (6 June 2026). "Why this man wanted a refund from Annette Lee after watching her debut movie – and got it". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 6 June 2026. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Soh, Joanna (28 May 2026). "Actress-director Annette Lee takes long walks to get respite from hectic work schedule". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 29 May 2026. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ↑ Lui, John (27 May 2025). "Singapore content creator Annette Lee to write and direct first feature film". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 6 June 2026. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- ↑ 钟, 雁龄; 蔡, 欣盈 (22 May 2026). "李安处女作《梦想小店》拍接吻床戏 老公不吃醋只求"别亏钱"". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
另外，李安在片中穿插"千万大导"梁志强《钱不够用》音乐，向前辈致敬，而梁导也在片中客串爱钱店主一角。
- 1 2 3 Wong, Bryan (29 May 2026). "Annette Lee says she'll refund moviegoers if her new film Dream Stall 'wasted their time'". CNA Lifestyle. Archived from the original on 15 June 2026. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
- ↑ Yong, Clement (21 February 2025). "SG Culture Pass: $300m for arts and heritage programmes involving Singaporeans and PRs". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 28 August 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ 钟, 雁龄; 蔡, 欣盈; 陈, 陈秋雁 (26 June 2025). "对影成三人：网红电影的"鱻"与"鲜" 星力颠覆有待观察". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 钟, 雁龄 (28 May 2026). "新片出炉：《梦想小店》题材接地气 底蕴待丰满". www.zaobao.com.sg (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 15 July 2026.
Primary sources
[edit]In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):
- ↑ "Better Than Yours (The Bak Kut Teh Song) - Annette Lee & Jenn Chia". Annette Lee. 6 May 2026. Retrieved 15 July 2026.
- ↑ "Dream Stall Gala Premiere". Annette Lee. Retrieved 15 July 2026.