Thirteen-year-old Sammy became a rebellious child after losing her mother. Her older sister seems to have forgotten her mother because she is addicted to online games, and her father has found someone new. Sammy’s only comfort is to let her imagination go as she listens to a recording her mother made about a princess and the moon rabbit. One day she unexpectedly meets Margot, a magician at a children’s party, and is comforted by Margot’s tricks.
This is director Kate Tsang’s autobiographical debut feature film, as it is based on her experience of being comforted by fairy tales her grandfather told her during turbulent times. The theme of stories overcoming pain and bringing consolation is profound. The film doesn’t emphasize Sammy’s background as an Asian-American immigrant, but the scenes showing the child’s fantasy blend Asian and Western cultures. The black-and-white scene, which is a variation on the moon rabbit tale, is influenced by old Hong Kong dramas and the classic film A Trip to the Moon (1902) by Georges Méliès. Tsang was nominated for an Emmy award while working as a writer for an animated series, and the animating technique used to express Sammy’s emotions like live-action graffiti is interesting. Korean production designer Lee Yong-ok, who has participated in the films The Farewell (2019) and Minari (2020), oversaw the art. [NA Wonjeong]