South Korean Director Ejun Hong’s 92 year-old grandfather lost his mother when he was only 3 years old. Hong’s grandfather developed Alzheimer’s disease and started losing his precious memories, and so Hong wanted to create a film that paid tribute to him and his life. Perhaps most important, she wanted to shine a light on the love between a mother and son that she believes never fades away.
Planet Classroom audiences are in for a soul-stirring treat when they screen Mother, Ejun Hong’s short animated masterpiece which has received much critical acclaim.
The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome Director Ejun Hong
What inspired you to create this story for your grandfather?
In 2019, when I was in Slovakia, my grandfather’s health was rapidly deteriorating. He could no longer eat using his own hands, go to the bathroom by himself, and could not hear or speak properly. It was very difficult for my family to see the well-respected charismatic man we once knew slowly fade away. Since I could not physically be there to comfort my grandfather and the rest of the family, I wanted to do something to cheer everyone up. As a result, I created Mother, a short animated film about maternal love and family that depicts my grandfather’s life from losing his mother at a young age to building his own family and later reuniting with his mother in heaven. After showing this film to my family in Korea, they responded with tears of joy and were very touched by the film. And this unforgettable experience opened my eyes to the limitless potential of animated storytelling.
Did you do any research on Alzheimer’s before you made the film, and if so, how did this research impact the way you told your story?
The biggest influence on the storytelling of my animation was not my research on Alzheimer’s, but rather my personal experience of watching my grandfather suffer from Alzheimer’s. For several years, I have watched my grandfather lose his precious memories. However, sometimes, when he recalls a memory of his mother or hears the word “mother”, he is always moved to tears. Watching my grandfather suffer from Alzheimer’s, I realized that although he is losing his precious memories and living the last days of his life, he never stopped his love and longing for his mother. Therefore, I wanted to deliver a message that, “Time always goes by. But the love for his mother never fades away.” That is why I decided to deliver the story using elements of time in the design. The big clock that progresses the story represents the entirety of my grandfather’s life, and the images of the clocks and hourglasses in the design of the characters and backgrounds symbolize time. Toward the beginning of the film, my grandfather’s mother leaves flowers to him that stay with him throughout the film, which represents her eternal love toward her son. The ending reflects my hope that one day, he would finally meet his mother and tell her that he has lived a good life to make her proud.
Just like this, based on my observation of my grandfather who suffers from Alzheimer’s, I showed his challenging yet successful life in three minutes.
If you were able to speak to your grandfather when he was a young boy about his mother, what would you say to him?
If I were able to speak to my grandfather when he was a young boy about his mother, I would say that “You will build a family full of love and happiness, and you will meet people who love you as much as your mother loves you. She will always be with you and will be proud of you for the way you lived your life.”
What were the biggest challenges you faced in the animation process? How long did it take for the process to culminate in a finished product that you were satisfied with?
The biggest challenge I faced in the animation process was successfully showing my grandfather’s life in a mere three minutes, without using any narration.
To successfully convey the central theme, the never-ending love between a mother and her son, I decided to use the big clock in the background to progress the narrative while allowing the viewer to emotionally experience a man’s 92-year-long life in a matter of seconds.
Then, I decided to use vibrant colors, gentle music, and design and sound editing that reflects the flow of time to build emotional resonance throughout the film.
After considering every aspect of my film, it took two weeks to culminate in a finished product that I was satisfied with.
What did you hope to accomplish with your film? What feelings did you wish to evoke from the viewer?
Since I love and respect my grandfather very much, I wanted to pay tribute to him by creating a film that shows his challenging yet successful life. Therefore, by setting his mother as the central theme of the film, I delivered a message that the love between a mother and son never fades away.
Most importantly, through my film, I wanted to make my grandfather experience the everlasting love between him and his mother in a way he never has.
And for the viewers who watch my film, I wanted to remind them of the love between a family and make them realize how precious and beautiful it is.
Thank you Ejun.
C.M. Rubin and Ejun Hong
Don’t Miss Mother (curated by NFFTY), now screening on the Planet Classroom Network.
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