``In This World'' A fiction that erodes reality. A documentary style that goes beyond reality

Was the original title "Silk Road"?

Although the film was released under the title ``In This World,'' it has actually been changed several times. The project was originally called ``Silk Road''. Merchants once crossed Eurasia to bring Chinese silk to Europe. In modern times, refugees from the Middle East and Africa are flocking to Europe in search of peace and a prosperous life. Did Winterbottom think of the route the refugees would take as a "modern-day Silk Road"?

No, in reality, ``Silk Road'' was a camouflage to blind the public's attention. After all, the filming of this movie was mostly guerrilla filming. In the countries you visit, you may have to do illegal things, and you never know what kind of trouble will occur in politically unstable regions. He chose the title ``Silk Road'' in order to say, ``We're filming a documentary about the Silk Road!'' in case something happened. Is it better to say that he has a good wit, or is it better to say that he is a sophist at the level of an elementary school student?

Then, after filming had finished, something happened that Winterbottom could not have predicted. Jamal, who was supposed to have returned to Pakistan after receiving his performance fee, reappeared in London as a refugee. The real-life Jamal followed the story in the movie.

Winterbottom decides to incorporate Jamal's reality into what was supposed to be fiction. After the final scene, the credits tell us that Jamal applied for asylum in London, but was denied, and was allowed to stay until he turned 18. (I check in every few years to see how Jamal, who is now nearly 30 years old, is doing, but I don't really know what happened to him after that.)

So Winterbottom thought of using the file number M1187511 on Jamal's asylum application at a British government office as the title. However, an unexpected comment from Jamal causes him to abandon that idea.

In the film, Enayatullah dies during his journey. Jamal calls Pakistan from London and informs his family of Enayatullah's death. Jamal was checking the English subtitles for the scene and objected to the use of the word "Death." "I didn't say he was dead, I said he is no longer in this world."

Winterbottom felt the words were symbolic and decided to title the film ``In This World.'' ``Silk Road,'' ``M1187511,'' or ``In This World.'' Which title do you think is the best?

Text: Akira Murayama

Born in 1971. Writes articles for magazines, newspapers, movie sites, etc. Representative of “ShortCuts,” a review site for distribution-based works.

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