"Doors We Open" - Interactive Short Film (XR)
Doors We Open experiments with interactivity in film to combine the meticulously controlled storytelling of traditional film and the agency and emotional investment evoked by an immersive game.
This screen-based interactive film alternates between live-action shot sequences and virtual 3D gameplay. The live-action scenes depict reality, centering around the domestic drama and tension between father and son, while the virtual sequences explore the subconscious mind and glimpses of the memories of our characters. These are stylized dream sequences where the audience will become an active participant that can interact with artifacts and memories that tell a deeper story.
interactivity is not used here to affect the outcome of the story, but to allow viewers the agency to investigate the deeper emotional architecture at their own pace to develop empathy towards both characters’ perspectives in a clash of culture and generations.
Plot/Synopsis: Doors We Open is an interactive short film that tells the story of Lia, a young Chinese illustrator, on her return home to her single father in their Brooklyn family home. The pair are distant, divided by their generational differences, individual grief, and changes in their family over the loss of Lia’s Mother. Lia has grown fiercely independent, while her father has stayed home alone, struggling to rekindle his passion as a jazz musician. The pair try to communicate, unsure of each other and sidestepping uncomfortable topics until they approach their shared grief. We experience their reflections, memories, and dreams through their individual perspectives as they attempt to reconnect, heal, and come to a new understanding of one another.
Starring: Celia Au, Joe Chan
Directed by: Kevin Peter He
Written by: Jessica Shen
Executive Producers: Winslow Porter Turner, Joyce Keokham, Wesley Chan
Produced by: Ricardo Vilar, Lu Zhang, David Woon