Call for Cassie is a story inspired by different elements of who I am as a person. 

Hi! My name is Jiwon Lee, and I'm a student filmmaker born in Korea and raised across Korea, Malaysia, and China. My first majort short film in Los Angeles — Call for Cassie — is a story inspired by different elements of who I am as a person. 

It’s the story of many cheap massages I received during my seven years in China, and all the personal — sometimes even awkward — conversations I’ve shared with my masseuses.

It is also the story of all the hardworking Asian mothers I have witnessed all of my life, including my own mother, who would put everything behind to give their children a better life. Their sacrifice has always had me wondering whether they’ve always had other wants — or perhaps desires — they had to put behind.

It is also the story of me and my time as a perpetual foreigner. Having grown up across different countries all my life, I have lived with a constant wish to but could never truly be a part of the majority anywhere.

Cassie’s story is both a very personal story, but also one I hope other Asian women can relate to. The duality that lives within Cassie — the responsibility of a mother versus the passion of a lover, an outsider yet a masseuse who is allowed the most intimate moments with those in power — is one I’m certain audiences can relate to and accordingly, feel comforted through.

I hope the story of Cassie can let other Asian women know they’re not alone in the battle within themselves.

CASSIE works at a massage shop in Koreatown.

With her young son still living in China, the arrival of her lover JAMES on her birthday is just the kind of fix for affection that she needs. The two of them have sex in the private room. Afterwards, James promises to take Cassie out to dinner. James later calls Cassie and tells her his wife is suspecting an affair, and that they can’t be together anymore. Cassie is left distraught.

That evening, James’s wife TRACEY visits the massage shop. Cassie massages Tracey, during which Cassie is overtaken by her dark desires and almost chokes Tracey to death. After the massage, Cassie gets a call from her son. She breaks down into a sob as he wishes her a happy birthday.

Call for Cassie is a story of a woman’s DUALITY.

Cassie wants to be both a responsible mother and an impassioned lover.

She is an outsider isolated from conventional American society, yet she is allowedthe most intimate moment with them. 

Cassie’s work as a masseuse is tiring physical labor, but also a beautiful form of art that explores the physicalities of the human body. 

These opposing ideas embodied within the character of Cassie comes in full circle through the structure of the story.

We begin and conclude the story with Cassie smoking in the bathroom. Lilian yelling, “Call for Cassie” transforms into, “Cassie, there’s a call for you.” 

This circle of duality ultimately aims to portray the feeling of dividedness women — especially Asian women— feel. Trapped between societal expectations, reality, and desires, it is easy for us to lose control of who they truly are. Cassie’s ultimate return to her son prompts us to consider how we deal with our own dualities that live within us.

BATHROOM

“I told you to use Febreeze.”

We begin with Cassie smoking in the bathroom. The bathroom scene is unsaturated — almost
monochromatically grey — reflecting the sense of loneliness and dullness within Cassie.

The telephoto lens brings out the sense of confinement in Cassie’s daily life. It is eerily quiet here as we watch Cassie deep in her thought amidst her brief moment of solitude.

PRIVATE ROOM

“And we together eat dinner?”

The private room is the room of overwhelming passion. We are inundated with oversaturation of shades of red, orange, and of course — of skins. Shots of the massage will be carefully choreographed to highlight the symmetry and geometry of the massage and the human body. We dive into crazed passion of the private room through wide lens close ups, climaxing in the shot of Cassie choking Tracey, which will be shot in almost an absurd fish-eye lens close-up.

EXTERIOR

“Happy birthday, mama.”

We end on the exterior of the massage shop where Cassie calls her son. The color palette has been desaturated, yet we see the colorful glow of the neon signs. It’s not too loud or quiet as we hear faint sounds of the surrounding. We watch Cassie cry into the phone from a distance on a normal lens. This is her moment of revelation as she steps out into reality and ultimately comes to terms with her genuine purpose in life.

In order to realize our vision, we need a total budget of around $16,000. Our film has already secured $4k and is looking to raise an additional $12k to make Call for Cassie a reality! Your support will go towards location rental fees, production design, camera equipment, cast and crew pay, catering expenses, insurance, and more. As safety for our cast and crew is our number one priority, we will be following the most up-to-date Covid-19 rules and regulations provided by SAG, so part of our budget for production supplies will go toward providing PPE iteams on set. After completion, we're planning on entering the film into major domestic and international film festivals, while seeking potential distribution opportunities.

We also understand that a monetary contribution is not necessarily the best package for everyone. We are more than happy to accept donations in the form of goods and services. Below is a list of items we are looking for in terms of physical donation:

1. Catering and Crafty Donations/Discounts

2. Filming Location (A massage shop: front desk, bathroom, hallway & breakroom)

3. G&E equipment

4. Post-Production Service (sound mix, colorgrading, etc.)

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Starting with 250 followers as the first benchmark, Seed&Spark will reward us for building our audience with products, services, and festival fee waivers!

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The past few years have been a time of division, uncertainty, and pain— especially for the Asian American community. We believe this special story about a typical Asian woman— her troubles, her desires, and most importantly, her search for love— will help audiences feel comforted and more importantly, understood in this difficult time. Thanks for your time!