“Yakuza and the Family” An unwavering bond in changing times. Michito Fujii's achievements in 10 years as a director

A film that matches the “beliefs” of Star Sands and Director Fujii

The greatest feature and uniqueness of ``Yakuza and the Family'' is its combination of ``dramatic catharsis'' and ``severe documentary feel.'' From now on, let's take a look at how these were born, taking into account the respective paths of Director Fujii and Star Sands.

Planning for this work began immediately after the filming of `` The Journalist '' (2019) ended (January 2019). Director Fujii was summoned by Mitsutsugu Kawamura, the representative of Star Sands and the planning, production, and executive producer of this film, and was asked on the spot, ``What do you do next?'' During that brainstorming session, the keyword "yakuza" came up.

"The Journalist" preview

Speaking of Star Sands, in addition to ``The Journalist,'' there are other works that are unique and involve social issues, such as `` Kazoku no Kuni '' (2012), ` `Ah, the Wilderness '' (17), and `` MOTHER Mother '' (2020). It is a film company that has released a series of high-quality works to the world. In addition, there are many masterpieces such as `` My Love Irene '' (2018) and `` From Miyamoto to You '' (19) that are not afraid of extreme depictions and leave viewers devastated. It is somewhat inevitable that the company would come up with the theme of ``Yakuza'' (and depict it from a social perspective), but what about director Fujii?

Looking back at his filmography, `` Day and Night '' (2019) depicts a recall issue, `` Light and Blood '' (17) depicts crime victims and disaster victims, and the youth film `` Blue Way Back '' ( 18) However, it takes a serious look at suicide and underground business, and the story is always connected to society. In addition, ``Day and Night'' and `` The Brightest Roof in the Universe '' (2020) also depict a ``pseudo-family'' theme that is common to this work.

However, the ``origin'' can be said to be 2012's ``A Better Future for the City of Smoke .'' This film tells the story of students who decide to make a documentary film about the Yakuza. Therefore, according to director Fujii, ``Yakuza and the Family'' also has the meaning of being a self-reboot of ``A Better Future for the City of Smoke.'' As I will discuss later, the visual theme of ``Yakuza and the Family'' is ``smoke,'' which is also linked to this work.

“A better future for the city of smoke” preview

``A Better Future for the City of Smoke'' is a work that director Fujii said ``I raised about 800,000 yen from my own money, and spent 7 days filming it using my savings for the parts that weren't enough.'' The indie spirit of ``doing everything ourselves and taking responsibility'' is also Director Fujii's color and matches Star Sons' philosophy.

Another interesting thing is the casting of both characters. Star Sands has expanded the scope of their expressions by actively hiring actors such as Masaki Suda, Ken Yasuda, Sosuke Ikematsu, and Taiga Nakano who have moved between major works and art works. He seems to be on the same path as director Fujii, who has given opportunities to young up-and-coming stars such as Yokohama Ryusei and Kiyohara Kaya with original films. This work also features three generations of actors, including Hiroshi Tate, Tsuyoshi Ayano, and Hayato Isomura, and the way they pass on the baton is synchronized with the content of the work.

In other words, ``Yakuza and the Family'' is a work in which the aspirations of director Fujii and Star Sands coincide. Among his works, director Jean-Pierre Limosin's documentary ``Young Yakuza'' (2007), which focuses on yakuza, and `` The Blood of a Wolf '' (2018), a Toei yakuza film with a modern feel. ), etc., and the skeleton was completed.

A counter to the modern era where the Yakuza are treated as “devices”