The Loved One Dies
Alex, a young adult who just graduated from film school, still haven't get over his ex-girlfriend. He meets this mysterious girl Natalie after a movie, who is looking for a way to kill herself. They become friends, Natalie is like a literary muse to Alex, he starts to write a script about a suicidal girl. After Natalie tries to drink herself to death one night, she disappears from Alex's life after that night.
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Qian WanDirector
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Kinnie HuProducer
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Yuchen XieCinematographer
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Junru ChenProduction Designer
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Justin MakSound Design
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Kai-po HuangEditor
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Genres:Romance, Drama
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Runtime:15 minutes 49 seconds
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Completion Date:November 2, 2024
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Production Budget:7,000 GBP
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Country of Filming:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:Yes
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Student Project:Yes - Goldsmiths, University of London
The Loved One Dies was the first short film I directed, and it holds a deeply personal significance for me. When I was in my first year of secondary school, a Year 10 girl jumped from the rooftop of the school building in front of everyone. At the time, it was my first encounter with death, and everything about it felt unreal. The school quickly covered up the incident, and to this day, we don’t know what she went through or what drove her to make such a decision at such a young age.
Three years ago, after a difficult breakup, I began to struggle with severe emotional problems and alcohol dependency. A year ago, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I started to experience dark thoughts from time to time. During my most intense depressive episodes, I even contemplated ending my life and took steps towards it. When someone is enduring unbearable pain, the idea of ending it all can feel like a release.
The protagonist of the film, Natalie, is a girl determined to end her life. The film doesn’t delve into the reasons behind her choice. Part of her character was inspired by that senior student, while her emotional highs and lows are drawn from my own experiences with bipolar disorder. The male lead, Alex, is a film student who spirals into despair after a breakup. In a way, I divided my personal experiences in two and channelled them into these two characters.
This is a story about a boy meeting a girl, but it’s not, strictly speaking, a love story. Rather, it’s about two broken, lost souls finding each other and offering mutual salvation. When Alex and Natalie first meet, their conversation reveals their starkly different perspectives on love. Alex, scarred by heartbreak, no longer believes in love and views it as something that only exists in films. Natalie, in contrast, is fearless in love and hate, believing love to be the most beautiful thing in the world, even as she yearns for death.
The two become friends, until one night when Natalie attempts suicide again by trying to drink herself to death. Fortunately, Alex discovers her in time. Drunk and vulnerable, Natalie embraces Alex, and in that moment, love blossoms. Yet, the very next day, Natalie disappears from Alex’s life forever.
Their love is brief, but it leaves a profound impact on both of them. Alex, once mired in despair, starts writing again and quits drinking. Natalie, who had been fixated on ending her life, begins to attempt living an ordinary life—even though it’s incredibly difficult for her, she strives to live with all her might.
The Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien’s film Millennium Mambo greatly influenced me. The long takes captured with handheld cameras inspired the way I portrayed Natalie, drawing parallels with Vicky from Millennium Mambo. I feel incredibly fortunate to have cast Iris Li as the lead actress. Her performance in this film is so powerful and emotionally rich that I truly believe she is the film’s greatest highlight.
I also owe special thanks to my producer, Kinnie Hu. As this was my first time directing, she provided immense support and encouragement during pre-production and on set. I still remember her saying to me, ‘You know what you want, so don’t be afraid—just go for it.’