When I accidentally discovered the diaries of my late granduncle, who was mentally disturbed, I learnt about my family's secret history. The small mountain village in South Jeolla Province where my mother's family lived was nursing the wounds of class conflict, ideological conflict, and the scattering of family members between South and North Korea and in Japan. It turned out that the history of my family contained all the tragedies of modern Korean history, which I had only known from textbooks.

My granduncle passed away. He was mentally disturbed and as a child I found him terrifying. I accidentally came across his diaries one day. He kept a diary without fail for some 30 years and the books filled a couple of boxes but they were filled with notes on sermons, hymns, bible readings and prayers. ""What on earth made him that way?"" I wondered. This question threw me into the crucible of Korea's modern history.
I don't have the confidence to make a film that delves into big issues such as discovering the truth of history, or the truth behind ideological conflict. My interest was focused on the pain of my mother and grandmother who lived with these secrets in their hearts, afraid to mention them. I wanted to hear stories about real people who had suffered in silence as members of families branded ""red."" I believe stories have the power to heal. By making this film, I thought, perhaps the knot inside these wounded people's hearts would begin to unravel and help them breathe easier.

2007 제11회 인권영화제
2007 제12회 부산국제영화제