Film Image
Undertow
Me-K Ahn
1995
BW
18 minutes
US

Undertow

"undertow" is an experimental short film which explores how the loss of family and culture can affect one's body consciousness and sexuality. It juxtaposes one adopted woman's reconstructed search for her birth mother (through a bleak urban landscape towards a phone booth) with the attempt to connect mind and body. Through multi-layered incorporation of text, dramatic and documentary footage, voice-over body movement, the internal challenges of crawling back into a murky past are revealed. "undertow" represents the pain and struggle of fighting against the forces--or currents (the undertow)--which seek to trap us and prevent us from knowing ourselves.
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Reviews
"A silent young woman, searching for her birth mother, wanders through a bleak, urban landscape, her body in pain. Text, sound and movement are combined in 'undertow' to create a sense of alienation and displacement." - Ming Yuen S. Ma, 1996 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival
"... powerful in how it externalizes personal reflection, 'undertow' speaks to issues concerning young people." - Kris Sorenson, Media Educator
"Continuing from her first piece, 'living in half tones,' 'Undertow' allows a creative process to bridge the gap between the real and the unknown. In this new piece, Ahn goes to a new level with vigorous use of sound to forward the images." - In-fin Tuan, Angles: Women Working in Film & Video
More Films by Subject and Genre
Arts & Culture
Asian Pacific Islander Diaspora
Experimental & Avant-garde Films
Family
Race & Ethnicity Studies
The Body Is…
Women's Studies
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