“The Pearls of Aoi" is an experimental film about a mermaid with depression. Fusing autobiographical depiction and sensory experience of depression, with a fantastical and surreal narrative, this film aims to resonate not only with those suffering with mental illnesses, but the wider audience who ever felt a sense of numbness and uneasiness towards overworking culture (especially in Asia), social and peer pressures, self-depreciation and existential crisis. Combining humor with serious matters, and shot entirely on iPhone with a low-fi aesthetic, the result is authentic, vulnerable and genuine.

In the film, the heroine Aoi (meaning blue in Japanese) is a mermaid who has worked in the human world for 5 years. Working in the busy human society has exhausted Aoi in every aspect — her passive aggressive work environment, heavy workload, loneliness in a foreign place and the lack of career direction had chipped away her mental well-being. In search of a different environment, Aoi attempted to apply for graduate school in the Mediterranean Sea, but failed miserably. Her mood swings became more frequent, and though she still tried to make changes to take care of herself, things seem to fall apart faster than she could amend.

This is the first film the artist has created independently, which enabled her to take on the roles of a screenwriter, director, producer, cinematographer, video editor, actor, art director, stylist and etc.

Please request permission to view at
cocoho.studio@outlook.com