A Friend

Abstract

A Friend is a nine-minute fictional short film about Sid, a Chinese man living in Toronto, whose quiet life is unsettled by a series of mysterious phone calls. As reality, memory, and an unfinished farewell begin to intertwine, a long-buried grief gradually surfaces. Told through a nonlinear structure, the film uses everyday spaces, natural light, handheld camerawork, and restrained performances to blur the boundaries between reality and hallucination, life and death. Centred on the making of the film, this thesis combines personal experience, Buddhist philosophy, and filmmaking practice to examine the creative process from script development to post-production, while reflecting on themes of farewell, memory, and emotional experience in cinema.