Private Project

The Wish

An old man prepares to leave Little Tokyo in Los Angeles to reunite with his homeland in Japan.

  • Chase Yi
    Director
  • Chase Yi
    Writer
  • Josh Wordel
    Director of Photography
  • Bara Kim
    Producer
  • Peter Chen
    Key Cast
    "Hiroshi"
  • Diana Toshiko
    Key Cast
    "Mindy"
  • Lauren Gaw
    Key Cast
    "Suzy Takamura"
  • Bara Kim
    Key Cast
    "Himari"
  • Chase Yi
    Key Cast
    "Young Hiroshi"
  • Madeleine Lee
    Key Cast
    "Young Hinata"
  • Kian Fan
    Key Cast
    "Timothy Tanaka"
  • Mia Suzuki
    Key Cast
    "Little Hinata"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 58 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 29, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    Z Cam
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Chase Yi

Chase Yi was born on May 24th, 1992 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA, as Chase Joseph Maser. He is an Asian-American actor based in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in Creative Writing (Poetry). In addition to acting, writing and directing, Yi is also an avid singer and guitar player, performing regularly in West Los Angeles. Chase was recently featured in ABC’s diversity showcase and you can see his acting work on Netflix, HBO, Disney+ and more. Chase is currently working on directing his first feature film with Doyen Artists.

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Director Statement

The Wish honors the memory of those who pass away too soon. In regards to our main character, Hiroshi, his wife (Hinata) dies during childbirth and leaves Hiroshi alone to care for a daughter that he becomes estranged from (which is inferred during Hiroshi’s dream sequence). Now in the present, Hiroshi is confronted by his own mortality as his sickness ravages his body, but rather than waiting for death to take him, he decides to take matters into his own hands by traveling back to his homeland in Japan and hiking through the “Sea of Trees” or Aokigahara forest (a.k.a. The Suicide Forest) to reunite with his lost love. The scenes where Hiroshi strolls through Little Tokyo in LA serve as his final reminiscence of his past life. He has seen so much change in the area from when he was a young man, and sadly, the beauty and glory of his former life have faded into the background of history. This is truly emblematic when Hiroshi stops in front of the memorial for astronaut Ellison Onizuka, whose heroic life was cut short when the Challenger space shuttle exploded soon after takeoff. Here, we have the ultimate symbolism of a dutiful, purposeful life (like the life of Hinata) tragically taken away amidst the pursuit of achieving something great. The Wish is a vibrant reminder for viewers to cherish the time they have before it’s too late. Even when we know that death is closing in on us, we must never let it cripple us from being who we are or let it keep us from honoring the wishes we long to fulfill.