Unconsciousness Opening up the Future​

Looking back, no other film has had such a crucial impact on my life than The Last Concert.

As an eighth grader clad in black school uniform and hair cut short, I first laid my eyes on a picture of Pamela Villoresi in my local barbershop. I instantly and intensely fell in love with her. After that, I would often run to Daehan Theater after school to see her. I carried the same white satchel that she had in the film until graduation—people called me crazy for that. The man she loved in the film was a middle-aged pianist. I would practice the piano all day long to learn the piece he played for Stella.

In my youth, it never occurred to me pursue a career in music. In fact, I wanted to become someone far more powerful. Yet, my unconscious mind made me go for things that she liked or that resembled her. My wife—not to mention all the women that I found attractive before—looks like her. Plus, I now work as a musician just like the man she fancied. Is this all just a coincidence?

Powerful memories become embedded in one’s unconsciousness and serve as a rudder that opens up the future. Had I not fallen in love with Palema Villoresi as a teenager, there would be no music director Cho Sung-woo. (CHO Sung-woo)