Project Spotlight: 'Hajun Blooms', Bringing Repressed Nonbinary Queer Identity to the Screen
Mary Kim is a Korean American multimedia artist and writer-director who is currently attending the University of California Irvine. Mary's POV was shaped by her experience as a DACA recipient in a single parent household and this pushed her to explore themes of generational trauma, PTSD, and mainly focus on female and nonbinary driven narratives. Hajun Blooms is a beautiful visual short film about repressed nonbinary queer identity and one young Korean’s relationship to the church. Mary’s combination of mixed footage, stark visuals, and an emotionally nuanced story comes to life in this short film and we’re excited to spotlight it on the Light Leaks. Keep reading to learn more about Mary and watch their short film!
what part of creating this short was most difficult?
We were limited to three takes per shot, so there was a lot of pressure to rehearse things as close to vision as possible.
What did you most enjoy in this process?
I really enjoyed working with the cast and crew. I love talking about the lighting, mood, and the setup of a shot with the DP and PD. The actors had a personal connection to a setting in a conservative Christian church or to an overpowering authoritative figure, so I loved seeing how they took direction in different ways and incorporating a vulnerable part of themselves into something really meaningful. I also loved location scouting and getting test shots of how this film would potentially look like. I couldn't wait how everything would come together on the shooting day.
Was there anything unexpected in the process?
We were looking for a church that would allow us to film this content, and to our surprise an LGBTQ+ supporting church gave us the permission to use their location. I didn't even know LGBTQ+ supporting churches existed, so it's kind of beautiful to think that they played a part in telling this queer narrative without even knowing the story.
What practical advice do you have for filmmakers?
Write personal stories, get vulnerable, take that risk. There is nothing more unique than your cultural background, your upbringing, family dynamics, and how you perceive things. There is interest in that and people will take you as far as you want to go; don't forget how to dream and engage with art and your city/town wherever you live. Explore what you dislike and allow that to shape your films into what you want it to be.
How did you craft the visual language for this film?
I was really interested in bringing the power dynamics of an abuser and a victim into play visually through the composition of the actors. Kurosawa's masterful compositions had a huge impact on me at the time and I felt like it was appropriate to focus more on the composition since we also had limited camera movements. I envisioned this film in frames and we can see that in shot with the mother.
How did you ensure a safe set for this sensitive topic?
There was a scene where an actor had to signify that they were going to masturbate, so I made sure to have an open discussion with the actor. Safety is the biggest concern on a film set, so I told the actor multiple times that if they were uncomfortable with something that we could stop filming or change the action. We discussed what was needed for the scene and didn't film any actions that were outside of what we talked about. The time came when we had to rehearse the action, so it was just Corey and I going over the implied action and asking everyone to be outside of the set. There's a huge potential of this becoming unsafe and we just checked in multiple times with the actor on how they were doing. There was also a really emotionally heavy scene where Hajun is watching the tv screen and experiences PTSD and immense feelings of guilt, which Andy had to embody. Checking in with the actor during these sensitive scenes is crucial to the well being of the actor.
What does the name Hajun Blooms mean?
I was looking for Korean names since this story is about a Korean nonbinary adolescent. Hajun means "great summer" and this title is about Hajun who blooms despite the intervention of their mother and pastor.
Finish the blank Hajun Blooms is…
my most personal film