Film
director Daniel Nam read about the Mo Hyon Hospice and was so moved by
what he learned that he made a film about hospice life, Passionate Good
bye, which will open on May 30th. The Catholic Times interviewed the director.
Mo Hyon is a word for 'mother's knoll', which refers, according to the Religious Sisters working in the hospital, to Mary, the mother of Jesus, who met her son on the way to Calvary. A fitting name for a hospital for those who are terminally ill and are preparing for their last journey.
Seeing the way the terminally ill were still making the most of life, and the dedicated caring of those patients, the director said his negative feelings about death changed. The end of earthly life is not always tragic and can be a blessing, he said. Having witnessed how patients at the hospice faced death with courage and consolation, he wanted this made known to others. Knowing that death is close and yet getting a driver's license or writing their life stories or preparing to travel has moved the director to include these inspiring will-to-live stories into his movie script. The patients were also an inspiration, he said, for the actors in the film.
He mentions a 6-year old child who was saying good bye to his mother. The mother told him she would remain with him as an angel after her death. The child took the oxygen mask his mother used and put a chrysanthemum flower in it, believing that his mother will always be with him as an angel, an actual incident from the hospice.
No one cared enough about the story, he said, to invest in the film, even though he revised the script over 70 times. The sisters told him why go ahead with a film that will not make money. Films are made, of course, with a desire for profit but death is not a popular subject. Hospice is not readily understood in our Korean society, he said, so he wants to use the film as a teaching aid to acquaint as many as possible with the hospice movement.
He took a 12-week course to learn what is involved in caring for hospice patients. He established the Phoenix band, which for the last four years has come to the hospice to entertain the patients. The band helped build a warm relationship between patients and staff. He considers himself a tool to convey to as many people as possible the hospice message.
Did the fear of death disappear for him? he was asked. No, it's still there, he said, but now, having seen God's script being played out in the lives of those dealing with life and death, there is a greater understanding. He hopes those seeing the film will find consolation, laughter and joy in the story. Sharing our brief life on earth with others, he said, life becomes happier--"My life is God's." And he hopes it will continue to be full of meaning. He still lives with a 'question mark' when it comes to life and death, but does not feel alone in his questioning. In the past many others have shared their reflections on the subject, so he has plenty of good company.
Mo Hyon is a word for 'mother's knoll', which refers, according to the Religious Sisters working in the hospital, to Mary, the mother of Jesus, who met her son on the way to Calvary. A fitting name for a hospital for those who are terminally ill and are preparing for their last journey.
Seeing the way the terminally ill were still making the most of life, and the dedicated caring of those patients, the director said his negative feelings about death changed. The end of earthly life is not always tragic and can be a blessing, he said. Having witnessed how patients at the hospice faced death with courage and consolation, he wanted this made known to others. Knowing that death is close and yet getting a driver's license or writing their life stories or preparing to travel has moved the director to include these inspiring will-to-live stories into his movie script. The patients were also an inspiration, he said, for the actors in the film.
He mentions a 6-year old child who was saying good bye to his mother. The mother told him she would remain with him as an angel after her death. The child took the oxygen mask his mother used and put a chrysanthemum flower in it, believing that his mother will always be with him as an angel, an actual incident from the hospice.
No one cared enough about the story, he said, to invest in the film, even though he revised the script over 70 times. The sisters told him why go ahead with a film that will not make money. Films are made, of course, with a desire for profit but death is not a popular subject. Hospice is not readily understood in our Korean society, he said, so he wants to use the film as a teaching aid to acquaint as many as possible with the hospice movement.
He took a 12-week course to learn what is involved in caring for hospice patients. He established the Phoenix band, which for the last four years has come to the hospice to entertain the patients. The band helped build a warm relationship between patients and staff. He considers himself a tool to convey to as many people as possible the hospice message.
Did the fear of death disappear for him? he was asked. No, it's still there, he said, but now, having seen God's script being played out in the lives of those dealing with life and death, there is a greater understanding. He hopes those seeing the film will find consolation, laughter and joy in the story. Sharing our brief life on earth with others, he said, life becomes happier--"My life is God's." And he hopes it will continue to be full of meaning. He still lives with a 'question mark' when it comes to life and death, but does not feel alone in his questioning. In the past many others have shared their reflections on the subject, so he has plenty of good company.
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