The Life between Insomnia & Hypersomnia

In 2017, my friend L's mental condition deteriorated due to sexual assault. I witnessed her engaging in self-destructive behaviors such as buying charcoal, seeking revenge, and attempting suicide.

In 2023, L filed a complaint with the Gender Equality Committee, seeking belated justice. However, her symptoms worsened once again, and she found herself frequently shuttling between the emergency room and her home.

The filmmaker also fell ill for nearly two years, gaining a deeper understanding of what the protagonist experienced. The symptoms caused the disconnection from reality and the distress due to chaos in daily life. The impact on both work and personal life left life at a standstill.

This film adopts a participatory observational approach, utilizing a GoPro mounted on the neck for a semi-passive recording, freeing up the filmmaker's hands to face urgent situations. Furthermore, through intensive interaction with the protagonist, the filmmaker and the protagonist collectively confront the intrusion of symptoms and life challenges. The aim is to provide viewers with an immersive viewing experience, allowing them to empathize with the subjective pain felt by those with the illness and the difficulties they face in the external world.

It is hoped that the release of this film will help dispel the social stigma associated with mental illness, allowing people to see, empathize, and thereby increase the possibility of providing more assistance to those who are affected by the mental illness.