Above the Mist, a film raising awareness on assisted suicide in South Korea.

Hi!

I'm a film director / cinematographer from France, currently living in Seoul, South Korea. After spending a year here, I was shocked to learn that so many people committed suicide every year and in such a horrible way. In fact, around 40 persons commit suicide everyday in the country, most of them will jump off high rise buildings or a bridge into icy water. One must wonder why so many people turn to this end, especially in one of the most developed countries with strong family and work values. However, my concern and the reason I am doing this short film is to ask why in the twenty-first century, humans are still not able to end their life in a more dignified way.

The question of assisted suicide is a difficult one but to many people it is a way to die peacefully and not to make a mess of themselves. But since it is still illegal in most countries, those that wish to go through that process often endanger the life of others (for instance with the prospect of jail or huge fines for doctors). But in some cases, they can also run into people that will take advantage of them in their final moments. As such, my film will deal with a fictional scenario that will follow the last day of a man choosing to end his life with euthanasia. Unbeknownst to the character's knowledge, the people that run the place he booked take advantage of the illegality of the situation to crook and mistreat suicidal people. 

Two months ago, we went scouting in the North-Eastern part of South Korea and found this little fishing village called Hwacheon and it was perfect for our story so we came back last week-end and shot the film in two days! You may check the screenshots from the upcoming film below! 

The mist that floats above the lake in Autumn is of striking beauty, we did our best to capture it at its peaking hours and our aim is to match it to the character's feeling within the story.

The core of our story takes place in a little fishing cabin on the lake, very close to nature.

We used analogies of nature to better convey the character's emotions but we also wanted to add an urban feeling to the film so we could contrast his journey between sorrow and numbness.

Now you can check the background of our cast and crew!

With a background in theatre and music videos, Chan Yoon recently started working with foreign directors to show another side of Korea. You may check his reel and follow him on twitter.

With experience in both films and commercials in France and South Korea, our production designer and screenwriter Laura Katz is devoted to achieve the visual aesthetics we are striving for. You may check her work on her website.

Finally, with a background in the visual arts, our assistant director Line Oshin is a film director having previously worked in Belgium and London. You may check her profile on linkedin.

My goal with this film is to sensibilise people on the question of assisted suicide and hopefully push towards legalisation or at least to relaunch the debate. It is my belief that terminally ill people and anyone suffering from strong mental illnesses such as medical depression should have the right to die in a dignified way.

The film was shot last weekend and we are currently looking for financial support to make a strong post-production and hopefully be able to send the film to many festivals around the world like my previous film. You're most welcome to check the campaign here. It's also available in French here.

Watch the teaser below!