Tatami
Directed by: Takumi Saitoh
Run time: 46 min
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)

A writer returns home to attend his father’s funeral and experiences constant flashbacks of his childhood. He discovers a secret door to a room in the house that hides a horrifying family secret. A myth of the household tatami is that while it is commonly a flooring mat used in Japanese homes, it is also believed to carry the positive and negative emotions – including grudges – of all who have stepped on it.

Mongdal
Directed by: Takumi Saitoh
Run time: 46 min
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese with English subtitles
Rating: PG13

A mother tries to appease the moods and demands of her borderline psychopathic son. The son falls in love when a new girl comes to town and is determined to win her at all cost. Things take a tragic turn and the mother is willing to do anything to keep her son happy even if it means finding a bride to join him in the afterlife.

Screenings courtesy of HBO Asia.