Searching for Happiness – 2018

Short film, 07:25, 16mm, Super8, Hi8, and digital.

Stars: Jiwoo Shin, Joe Robertson
Music composed by Amber Fenton
Directed by Sae Yong Lee

What is happiness? According to Zen Buddhist teachings, emotions are illusional. Its ever-changing nature is comparable to a flag that waves in any direction which the wind blows. I try to capture that wavering mind in this short film. In order to draw upon the abstract idea, the film portrays a man who grows flies in his stomach. As his partner becomes aware of the surreal disease, the sickening man leaves his lover behind in search of a cure. The visceral imagery of hatching flies is the wind blowing inside the man’s mind. The strange illness thrusts him to make an emotional, perhaps unreasonable decision to part away from his woman. The film’s tempo also reflects the man’s desperate psyche. From the longer, slower shots in the beginning to the staccato pace towards the end, the editing speed builds tension and adds dramatic quality. Also, I utilize 16mm, super8, Hi8 video, and digital cinematic techniques to illustrate the dreamlike videoscape of our inner worlds.

- Jury Special Mention Award, Film-ed: International Short Film Festival, Dubai, UAE, 2019.
- Official Selection, Carcosa International Film Festival, 2020.
- Official Selection, Video Sound Archive S7, 2022.