Change is desired by a lot of people – and that's scary. This applies to relationships, especially when they are on the verge of breaking. In the case of Director Michelle Kim’s character in her new film The Tree Inside, it’s a process she desperately wants to stop.
The film tells the story of a woman unable to maintain a relationship for more than a few months. Specifically, it is a process that coincides with nature’s seasonal cycle. However, after meeting the man of her dreams, she makes it her mission to prevent this cycle from further deterring her love life.
“Her seasonal impulse to change is having an effect on the relationship,” said Kim, a UBC alumna. “[The film] follows the relationship throughout the entire year and the seasons are a symbol for the internal and emotions of the characters.”
Kim’s own relationship problems provided main inspiration for the entire film. For her, the film is a way of further exploring the impermanence of relationships, as well as coming to terms with her own heartbreak.
“I think it was just me trying to sort things out subconsciously – it was very therapeutic to make the film,” she said. The film originally started out as a short, but her feelings drove her to dig deeper. “It was basically subconsciously healing myself from a break up and then hoping that it will help people as well.”
Personal feelings aside, the film was also inspired by numerous Asian and European films. Much of the stylistic techniques, according to Kim, were mostly inspired by the latter. Apart from its style, the film’s distribution has also gone global, being shown at film festivals in Los Angeles, Portland and Seoul. Reception has been remarkably positive regarding the latter city, Kim noted.
“I had a lot of young women [in Seoul] coming up to me saying, ‘Oh I feel like that character,' and I couldn’t believe it because it’s a different language [and] culture," she said. "But maybe certain things there are universal like heartbreak [and] feeling lost.”
Although the film’s premise of emotions coinciding with year-long seasonal changes sounds ambitious, much of the film’s production was relatively loose and improvised. Sets were sometimes picked last minute and on the spot, but still with careful consideration. Little equipment was utilized and natural lighting was relied on. Most of the cast also consisted of close friends with little experience in acting.
Diana Bang, an actress famed for her role in The Interview and also a UBC alumna, plays Jen — the best friend of Kim’s character. For her, the relaxed atmosphere of production was a refresher from bigger, more formal sets she usually participates in.
“It really was very casual which was cool, which I appreciate,” said Bang. “It’s just like hanging out with your friends … you could do it for an hour and hang out the rest of the time.”
That said, Kim highly emphasized that they still meant business making the film.
“I was really serious – it seemed like I wasn’t … but I really wanted this to work,” said Kim, adding that the low-key vibe is as an important part of the process. “On set you have to create a chill atmosphere because a director sets the tone of the set. If you have a super stressed director, it’s just not going to work out.”
Bang agreed, reflecting that Kim’s conviction is also meaningful for the film’s context and structure.
“I feel like it was very emotionally based — there’s no ‘this is the story!’ You feel the emotional journey and I think that’s sort of how [Michelle] went about [her] work too,” she said.
Bang also added that the non-actors who participated were also just as dedicated in making things work — sometimes even outdoing themselves.
“[They] were amazing and better than the actual actors a lot of times. [They are] just drawing from their own life experience and they’re talking about stuff they’re interested in,” she said. “[There was] this couple — a real life couple — and they were super witty and spitting out things ... I was just sitting back and watching them in awe. They were amazing.”
Ultimately, both hope that the film elicits meaningful reactions from audiences whether regarding love, change or self-acceptance.
“Change is inevitable,” Bang said.
“I just want audiences come out of the film feeling good,” said Kim. “It’s okay to change, to be a woman of all four seasons — it’s okay to not stay the same and be with same person.”