The afterlife has always haunted the human experience. While we as a society don’t often speak about death, it lingers in the air like the incense sticks on one’s altar. Our conversations when it comes to loved ones passing away frequently end up as merely “would’ve could’ve should’ve” but Emily Teera’s short film, “Soul Food,” premiering tomorrow at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF), subverts the delicate issue of what comes after death with a distinctly Thai twist. The short film follows a young Thai woman named Fah, who finds herself in the space between life and death, and reunites with her dead mother June, as they struggle to mend past wrongdoings and overcome regrets.
Teera sat with Character Media ahead of “Soul Food”’s premiere to speak about the inspirations for her first short film, filial piety and what it means to her to be the only Thai director featured in this year’s LAAPFF lineup.
How did you come about creating a film that focuses on mother-daughter relationships?
Emily Teera: This short film used to be a short story, and [it] was completely different; it was an exploration of my earliest childhood memory, which was me as a two-year-old at my grandma’s funeral, learning about life and death. It was kind of this magical realism, “Spirited Away”-esque world, that I wrote in the pandemic. I sent it to my friend/producer on this, Halley Albert, and she was like, “You need to make this.” When I got more into the process, I realized I’m not that little girl. I’m not discovering the idea of death in life anymore. So, I aged the girl up to a woman and aged the grandma down to a mom. I was like, “What if this is an exploration of my relationship with my mom [who’s still alive]?” Theoretically, if you lose someone you love deeply, but who has also hurt you, how would you have that conversation if you get to speak with them again?”
Both versions of the script…
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