Interview 030109

Universal theme, FAMILY, and illusion around it

It is a story of a family, slowly disintegrating with lack of communication. It is rather a universal theme and looks unlikely for "Kurosawa of horror", and the film has certain messages in it.

"I think it had some messages as a result, but I did not intended at the start. I did several horror movies in a series, so my desire to do something very far away from horror movie eventually got bigger. Then the producer showed me the original story that became the core of this film. After the project got a start, and while writing the script, I started to realize the theme of the movie - "the smallest unit of the human relationship, family, is changing its form. The old form has broken down, but rather than crying over it, we should end it once for now, and then we may be able to see the new human relationship spring up from the ground. It is not just about family, but for each individual person and his/her life, some types of new change and hope will be coming out from there.

This family certainly is not communicating one another, but I don't think it is just a present phenomenon. I think it was like that all the time in the past. I think it is an illusion since long ago to think that people understood others and kept good communications in the family.

Once another member goes out of the house, you don't know what they are doing. You don't quite understand what your kid is doing at school. Father is saying he works, but very few families actually see and understand what he is doing. That is why the father in the film can keep hiding that he lost his job. Other family member speculates he may have lost job, but decides to keep it quiet. That is their relationship. It is not anything new, and is not just in Japan. I think it is something fundamental about human relationships. When they try to express honestly in specific words, as a scene in this film, their gap becomes deeper. It should have remained untold, but just because it was told in words, the fact that they actually don't understand each other is clearly revealed. I think there are many incidents like that in the everyday life.

Some compare this film with Anjiro Ozu's 'Tokyo Story', and it is too flattering. it is true that it is telling about Tokyo. Anjiro Azu also did a story of a family, not just telling what happens in the family but also about its background such as reality of the society, change of times, as reflected in the city of Tokyo, its time and the family drama. In that sense, mine is also a story of a family, but I did not want to depict the drama within the family itself, but wanted to express its surrounding Tokyo, its surrounding Japan, and even the world outside of it, and how they are related one another."

Unsmiling KyonKyon and versatile Teruyuki Kagawa

In this film, Japan's top of the top actor Koji Yakusho is playing a minor role, and another international star Teruyuki Kagawa is playing the leading role. The luxury does not end there - former pop idol Kyoko Koizumi leaves such a strong impression, as well as the child actors.

"Ms. Koizumi has become a great actress. Still, her image as an idol still remains, and I have an impression that she is always smiling and her smile is so charming, but I told her to suppress her signature smile. She has eyes that penetrates to the bottom of your heart, and I wanted her to play this role, as KyonKyon without a smile.

Mr. Kagawa is a very versatile actor. He can play an ordinary person, or a quite eccentric role, so this time; I wanted him to show both sides. This guy is an ordinary buy, but has very particular, eccentric factor within him. I asked him to do this because I cannot think of any other actor who can express such contradictory role.

Two sons were selected through an audition. The younger brother was only 11 years old, but he has such a great talent and I treated him just the same as adults. I fully explained the theme of this movie, Japan's current social and political position, and many other high-level things, and then the role assigned to him. I asked him if he can act it, then he answered "OK. I will plan out my acting," and then he actually did it. I was really impressed. The older brother was great too. I was blessed with great actors indeed. "

The real horror is in Cannes

Kurosawa is not a stranger in international festivals, and certainly not in Cannes. So what it was like this time?

"I have been there several times, but I was particularly nervous this time. Because 'Tokyo Sonata' was just completed in March last year, and right after that in May, it was shown in Cannes. Nobody other than the staff had even seen the film in Japan. That means I did not know how general people would take this movie. It was scary to bring it to Cannes when I had no such idea. This time, it was like the first preview screening in Cannes, so even if the reaction was bad there, I had to release in Japan, and I didn't know what to do. Fortunately, I had a good feeling in Cannes screening, so I was relieved.

I did not expect an award there, so I was surprised, but of course I was so happy. Cannes Film Festival is a scary place. If people like my film, that is great, but sometimes, they trash you. In a way, they are looking forward to trashing you. They invite you, select you, and trash you like garbage. It is such a cruel film festival in that sense, but when they praise, they really praise. They are quite extreme. Luckily, they gave me an award and put me in a group to be praised this time"

The new hope

Kurosawa repeatedly talks about "hope" that penetrates through the confusion in this family and society. What exactly does it mean?

"I feel that something is drastically changing now, not only in Japan but in the bigger world. Although many things are unstable and confusing, when I talk to the young people in the university that I teach, I feel that they are very solid. I think that they are not such weakly-minded guys as people tend to label them. Particularly in Japan, youth are much more hopeful than the adults. The future for them, however, is very different from what we adults imagined in the past as an ideal future. They have this different vision and they are making an honest effort to reach it.

The very fact that the future is not going to be as what we imagined is the key. In this current confusion, Japan will change whether we like it or not, and their version of unimaginable future is my biggest hope.