In the bustling backdrop of Los Angeles, estranged cousins Sarah and Minha come face-to-face during a fleeting layover. As they navigate the night together, unresolved grief and heartache from their past resurface, leading them on an emotional journey of reconnection and healing.

Director Biography - Chris Lee

Chris Lee is a Korean American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. After graduating from USC's School of Cinematic Arts, Chris has worked on various film projects, ranging from feature films, short films, short documentaries, music videos, and commercials.

At USC, Chris was selected as one of four directors to direct a senior thesis film. His thesis film, "A Sidewalk Becomes a Street" (2019) was an official selection at the 2019 Catalina Film Festival, 2020 Fargo Film Festival, and 2020 London International Filmmaker Festival. "A Sidewalk Becomes a Street" was later licensed by ShortsTV and premiered on Shorts TV's U.S. DTVA channel.

In 2018, he also worked as a production assistant on Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time" (2018) and served as the second assistant editor on Justin Chon's "Ms. Purple" (2019).

Chris is passionate about personal stories that explore the nature of humanity, often exploring interpersonal relationships through the lens of identity, empathy, and family.

Director Statement

What do we do with the pain that we carry throughout our lives? There is a quote that goes, "healing begins not where our pain is taken away, but where it can be shared and seen as part of a larger pain." To me, this quote represents my aspirations for making 'Hello, Goodbye' - to use the medium of film to explore this larger connection we can have with another human being through the vulnerability of our brokenness. Hoping that in a safe space, we can discover or be reminded again that we are not so alone as we may think. And that perhaps it is through sharing our weaknesses and failures, more than our strengths and accomplishments, that help connect us with one another.

I was first inspired to make this film when I had an encounter in 2022 that triggered painful memories of a romantic breakup that I thought I had recovered from throughout the past few years. Yet somehow in a single moment, waves of unresolved pain resurfaced immediately... And in my attempt to process these difficult feelings, I began writing the script for what eventually became 'Hello, Goodbye.'

However, more than just the processing of heartbreak from a breakup, I wanted to explore the different natures of grief itself, in the case of the loss of a loved one, of apathy, and of regret... As the character, Minha, says in the film, I find that we go through life experiencing many "little deaths," and I wanted to make a film where our "little deaths" or our hidden pain, grief, and brokenness can be seen and shared with another human being... wondering if it could truly be able to be seen as part of a “larger pain.”