Experiencing Interruptions?

Lei

Our story follows S, a seamstress tormented by her dreams of a moth Yokai, as she navigates a literal and symbolic maze to confront the creature and free herself from the psychological labyrinth that mirrors her inner struggles. It's a symbolic journey that represents the complex struggle many face when dealing with mental health issues, providing a fresh, metaphoric perspective on self-doubt and existential fear.

  • Huiru Shi
    Director
  • Huiru Shi
    Writer
  • Han Liu
    Writer
  • Karn Litah
    Producer
  • Siddharth Suresh
    Producer
  • Saad Kanwar
    Producer
  • Thüy Duong Trån
    Key Cast
    "S / Yao Guai"
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    "纍"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-fi / Fantasy / Thriller, Women, Asian, Horror
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Huiru Shi

Huiru's passion for visual storytelling was nurtured from a young age. Growing up in a strict household where television was off-limits, watching movies was like a sacred ritual that she could indulge in.

After moving to Canada, Huiru obtained her BDes in advertising at OCAD University followed by a Fashion Technique & Design diploma at George Brown College where Huiru discovered her deep love for visual storytelling. Since then she has worked as Production Designer and Art Director on lots of short film sets. <Lei> is Huiru's first attempt to write and direct, the story means a lot to her and she puts all her personal feeling and experience into the film.

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Director Statement

This story originated from the feeling of being trapped and wanting to be free. Its background story comes from me and my friend's personal experience: We had very dominant parents in our childhood who liked to make all decisions for us, and said" it's for your own good." Sometimes you feel like you don't have the power to control your own life, because they even want to live your life for you.

That's why the protagonist S in our story is a very numb and passive character, like a puppet on strings. She chooses to imitate her parents' behaviour in order to rationalize their love for her, and sometime she is very hard on herself. When she makes a small mistake, she will blame herself and become her own worst enemy.

I believe that many people like me, have experienced or are experiencing this process of "internal turmoil", imitating the views of their parents, others or some social norms that have been imposed upon them, and it's actually very sad.

The other part of the story was inspired by my discovery and contemplation of the meaninglessness of life itself. Because of the realization of feeling trapped, how to find and become my true self has become a new question. For the past ten years, I have constantly been trying to find the meaning of existence. However, in this process, I gradually realized that our existence is just a coincidence, and life itself has no meaning.

Our lives are made up of a lot of "repetition" and "futility," and it seems we don't have many choices to escape. It's like Sisyphus, who is punished by pushing a boulder up a hill day after day, only to see it roll back down to the bottom every time endlessly. Nevertheless, I still like what Albert Camus said - "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy." If pushing the boulder is his only fate, he can be aware of its absurdity and still move forward, the attitude itself is a rebellion against the absurd. Therefore, he said, one should imagine Sisyphus is happy.

For me, the way to fight absurdity is to continue to feel, to create, to explore, and to question.