Synopsis

The girl, trapped in a dream where she is chased by those who resent her, falls into the place where the nightmare dwells. There, she faces the old sense of guilt that has turned into the nightmare.

Director's Comment

Dreams are said to be reflections of the unconscious. If so, what kind of unconscious thoughts are reflected in recurring nightmares? The animals that appear in my nightmares take on different forms each time and harm themselves. Their behavior seemed as though they were resenting me, and through that, I discovered an old sense of guilt I had been avoiding. The nightmares were manifestations of the shameful parts of myself that I had neglected and failed to confront. By making this film, I wanted to offer a belated apology I couldn't give in the past and provide comfort to the small friend who had turned into a nightmare, as well as to my younger self.

Staff

Scenario/Storyboard/Character/BG/Lay Out/Animation/Effect/Editing SHIN Sooyeon

Sound LEE Gayeon, LEE Sanha, LEE Jiyea, CHO Eunyou

Music KIM Soojeong

Voice LEE Seulbi

Detailed description

Some memories and emotions remain hidden and buried deep inside. [To My Old Nightmare] uses black-and-white versus colors to contrast the beginning and latter halves. We are drawn to the shifting colors and the steady artwork. There is mourning and guilt felt for those that have vanished in the cruelty and ignorance of a child’s innocence. And yet, there is also the courage to face it and step forward. There’s a duality of meaning in a word of greeting that also means farewell. A nightmare full of pursuers with sharp teeth and red eyes comes to an end, marking a new beginning when we hit rock bottom. It’s then that we finally confront the version of ourselves that we tried to bury in the deepest, darkest place.

MO Eunyoung