Tears at the Edge of the World: Infidelity and the Places Guilt Takes Its Prisoners

Kevin Seo’s 10-minute Tears at the Edge of the World poeticises the distracted boyfriend meme into a drama of lust, remorse, and heartbreak. With its dreamy, sunshine flooded aesthetic, it comes as a surprise when the hopeful voiceover narration takes a turn towards something troubling. But this dissonant sound-image is here to stay as the boyfriend in question comes clean at the most inopportune of times. 

The couple is at the beach, the day perfect for a picnic. But when memories begin to intrude, the very first line of the film, spoken in voiceover by Sophie (Sanyee Yuan) threatens to turn sorrowful: Where will you take me? 

The narrative is thoroughly non-linear, blending the past and present of a simple story into a whirlpool of Lucas’ (Anthony Sayo) guilt over his affair (the other woman played by Elizabeth Chang). When the scene cuts to a flashback—of the consummation of his infidelity—the dully lit bedroom contrasts starkly with the beach scenes, the sudden absence of the splendid blue feeling ironically like a plunge into a cold, disorienting unknown. The film continues to oscillate between scenes from the past and the present, tracing the beginning of the affair down to Lucas’ confession. This includes what may be the film’s most striking moment as Lucas comes to a decision about his affair. Sayo’s performance in the seconds-long, interrupted, blink-and-you-miss-it throw is brimming with the internal conflict that the film has overly relied on crashing waves and the background score to signify. 

The film circles back to Sophie, on the edge of the world, with new information that has devastated more than a picnic. After the circuitous path through confession, you are left to acknowledge what has been at the edge of your perception all this while—the sunshine was more muted than it should have been. 

Watch Tears at the Edge of the World Short Film