Director: Sooin Cho

Synopsis: S, seeking something he doesn’t know, wanders in the world of Mu 無 (Nothingness). Where he ends up is the perfect world in which everything works by itself, like a machine. In this perfect world, people build a perfect wooden tower. Some people chop timber, some trim the timber, some sandpaper the trimmed wooden blocks, some color the blocks, and the rest form a long clockwise line to pile up the blocks to build the tower. The workers regularly move, which creates a harmonized rhythm layered with each component. The group of people is equipped with their perfect and identical behaviors, looks and words. They look happy, look the same and there is nothing wrong. However, one of them smiles and his lipstick smudges; he gets the attention of everyone else. All eyes are on him as if something is wrong. He hears people whisper. When he fixes his makeup, everything gets back to normal. S is busy with keeping up with the same behavior, just like the others. With a smile on his face, S checks his words. At that time, his right sleeve gets smeared by the fresh paint on the blocks. He tried to hide it so that the other workers cannot see it, but instead it seems peculiar. One of the workers asks him if he’s okay, and turns right back to her position as if nothing happens. Gradually, each worker starts looking at him. S is at a complete loss, with his right sleeve still stained with the paint, desperately trying to erase it, but it slowly gets spread all over his body. Now the whispering gets louder with the same rhythmical yet harmonized sound. With their smiling faces, they turn to S. His whole world is filled with their attention. Covered with the paint, S asks for help but they turn their faces away from him. S falls on the tower and the tower collapses. However, everything still goes on just like before, as if they don’t see him at all. Scared, he opens the door to escape. However, he only walks the endless path in the world of Mu 無 (Nothingness).

Bio: Sooin Cho is a director from Seoul.

Program: Breaking Point – VAEFF 2020