“Me & Mazzy Melancholy” by David Tse
A Japanese man lovingly tends to a house full of plants. A Chinese immigrant wears a penguin costume at work due to social anxiety. A kidnapper bonds with the hostage she keeps locked up in a suitcase.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
“Ideas of isolation, loneliness and anxiety are now being looked at more thoughtfully in a post pandemic world but they are thematic ideas that are rarely afforded to Asian characters in western media. I wanted to capture these ideas that are often explored in Asian cinema but put them in a different geographical context.
Themes of solitude and longing have long been of interest to me. For much of my early life I struggled to connect with others because of anxiety and I felt very alone because of it. I still feel that it’s greatly influenced my worldview and art. Being half Chinese in a country like Australia has always given me the sense of being between two worlds, one of which (China) I have had no connection with. There’s a certain level of dislocation that comes with identifying more heavily with the Asian side of yourself whilst being raised in the western world with western sensibilities.
The characters in the film are all of an Asian background and struggle to connect in a foreign land. They’re adrift and in between worlds. I find that in between state to have a sad but dreamy quality. We chose to shoot the film primarily locked off and on 16mm to give it a real sense of place, hopping between intimate close ups and expansive wides that leave the characters feeling alone in their respective environments. The work is a love letter to the Hong Kong and Taiwanese directors that I grew up with and a personal ode to isolation.”
-David Tse
CREDITS
Writer & Director// David Tse
Producer// Rachael Morrow
Cinematographer// Jesse Gohier-Fleet
Production Designer// Shanahbelle Macdonald
Assistant Director// Charles Buxton-Leslie
Sound Designer & Mixer// William Klep
Animator// Lolita Chiong
1st Assistant Camera// Anthony Taranto
2nd Assistant Camera// Claire Giuffre
Gaffer// Frank Healy-Wood & Louie Walter
Best Boy// Louie Walter
Additional Assistant Camera// Jesse Hales & Lachie Thompson
Sound Recordist// Hayden Guildford
Wardrobe// Kevin Cheung
Penguin Costume Design// Canwen Zhao
Art Assistant// Annika Rigg
Still Photographer// Wilhelm Philipp
Sydney VO Recordist// Rumble Studios
Runner// Kasia Zongollowicz
Colourist// Matt Fezz
Editor// David Tse
Poster Design// Tom Nicholas Lewis
Camera Equipment// Cameraquip
Film Stock// Kodak
Laboratory// Werner Winkelmann, Neglab Film Scanning - Peter Richards, The Grainery
Music
La Casino Engloutie, Reviving Aerith & Temple of Light - Jim Nopedie Breakbeats - Pasteboard Rain - Garage Sale
Am I Losing My Mind - Softpowder
CAST
Kidnapper// Ginko Yin
Suitcase// Jillian Nguyen
Gardener// Hiroshi Kasuga
Penguin// Dennis Yong
Smoker// Eren Besiroglu
Kitkat Man// Nick Payne
Boy// Nicholas Yang
Dad on Phone// Shu Ying
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