Kawase Naomi

I really respect and love works of Japanese director Kawase Naomi. I saw her works in beginning of 2000 in Helsinki Ateneum. I was stunned to hear about her adoption (she was adopted when she was two, just like me). It could be because of this reason that I am so moved about her work.
My personal favorite is Mogari no Mori (Mourning Forest 2007) but I also love her earlier work Katatsumori and Embracing. She is fearless and honest documentarist.

Regarding Documentary

私は人間の内的なPowerを強く信じている。それは大きく、実に美しいPowerであり、しかも誰もが有している。これが私のドキュメンタリーを制作する理由だ。私は媒体として動画を用い、この不可視のPowerを可視化したいと望んでいるのだ。
これらのドキュメンタリーは、人々の生活に影響を与え、個人がより自然なライフスタイルを見い出すのにきっと役立つだろうと、心から信じている。
今から私はいくつかの短編動画を創るつもりだ。どうかVimeoで御覧ください。

Short Movie

I often feel, or notice that I’m sensitive about things that people around me barely notice. I’m not talking about art; that’s another topic; I’m talking about just normal things people encounter in their daily lives. As a result, I often feel I’m not made for this world, you know that I don’t quite belong here!

This is the starting point for my new movie. Theme of this project is about protecting the sensitivity we see in others, that something invisible what we feel so familiar with. Perhaps, because we ourselves often feel we need that same protection. We want someone to recognize that something most important thing in ourselves, and then take great care of it, nurturing it and making it grow, like a plant.

To make a story of a photographer is nothing new or unique, but I feel that it makes perfect, artistic context to the theme.

I plan to shoot this short movie in summer, and I’m looking for volunteers. Since this is independent movie and no commercial profit will be made from this, I cannot pay any salaries.

However, I strongly believe that this is something important and beneficial for the world, so in this regard, I am not ashamed to ask your volunteer help to realize this.

Let me know if you are interested, and let’s formulate a concrete plan to realize the production.

僕は、ほかの人がほとんど見落としそうないろいろなことについて繊細です。僕がいっているのは芸術的な物事についてだけではありません。もっと人々が日常生活のなかで出会うような様々なことについても繊細にいろいろな感覚を感じます。そのことから、僕はよく自分はこの世界のために作られたのではないのではないか、本当に自分はこの世界に属しているのだろうかと考えることがあります。

このことが今回の僕の新しい映画の出発点です。このプロジェクトのテーマは、僕たちが他の人の中にみる何か目に見えないけども共感できる繊細さを守ることです。おそらく、僕らはそうやってお互いにその繊細さを守る必要があるのです。そして僕らは僕らにとって僕らの中の一番大切なものを、植物を育てるかのように大切にし、力をくれ、育ててくれる誰かを必要としています。

写真家についてのストーリを作ることは、何も新しいことではありません。しかしこのことは今回のテーマを表すための最もよい手段なのです。

僕は、この夏に写真家を主人公としたショートムービーを作る予定です。そしてそれを手伝ってくれる人を捜しています。これは個人で独立して作る映画であるので、この映画の作成から何かの金銭的な利益を得られるものではありません。また、これによりボランティアで制作に参加していただいた方に何かお金を支払ったりすることもできません。

しかし、僕はこの短編映画の作成は、何かこの世界に対して価値のあることであると強く信じています。そしてこの思いからボランティアで参加してくださる方を募ることを恥ずかしいとは感じていません。

もし、あなたがこのことに興味があるならぜひ教えてください。これを実現するための具体的な計画を一緒に話し合えればいいなと思います。

Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood is a novel written by Murakami Haruki. The novel was released in 1987 and made it’s author a superstar among Japanese youth. The novel is a nostalgic story of loss and sexuality, and also about the late 60’s Tokyo, student protests and college life. And the name of the novel is borrowed from the Beatles song.

I was thrilled when I first heard that the movie was made Tran Anh Hung. I have always been big fan of his films such as The Scent of Green Papaya and Vertical Ray of the Sun. I’ve felt that Tran Anh Hung is realizing the visual culture of his home country, the colors and tone, there’s something very genuine and true about it; I imagine that’s how life in Vietnam looks like.

In that sense Norwegian Wood felt oddly a bit like Vietnamese film for me, although the environment and the context was of course Japanese.

The movie was very precise to the novel and the director didn’t take many liberations. The ones he decided to take only made the film more whole.

I was a bit afraid the movie would be a hollow trunk like Jun Ichikawa’s movie version of Tony Takitani. And honestly, I’m happy that Ichikawa wasn’t directing. It is clear that Tran Anh Hung was perfect man for the job.

Clearly he has worked very hard to make everything as true to it’s location as possible. The research alone must have required significant effort.

I imagine the movie itself will split audience in half which is expected and natural. And those who have read the novel are likely to enjoy it more.  Haruki Murakami is somehow all over the place in this film, there’s a lot of Beatles and the actress Reika Kirishima actually performs the song in the movie with her guitar. I was also delighted that Haruomi Hosono made appearance in the movie as the record shop owner.