``A Town of People'' Director Shinji Araki The first thing I told Tomoya Nakamura was ``Eros.'' [Director's Interview Vol.75]

I came across a groundbreaking movie. Isn't that the kind of thought that comes to the mind of the audience after watching ``A Town of Numbers''?

Aoyama (Tomoya Nakamura), a young man chased by debt collectors, is saved by a mysterious man (Satoshi Yamanaka). A man who calls himself a "tutor" leads him to a strange "town." The residents here are given the name ``Dude'' and are guaranteed food, clothing, and shelter in exchange for labor such as ``writing reviews online'' and ``voting in elections while pretending to be someone else.'' Aoyama starts a new life in that town, but...

Shinji Araki, who makes his feature-length directorial debut, created this mystery filled with the scent of a theater of the absurd. After The Graduate from the University of Tokyo, he is a rising star who has worked on numerous commercials and music videos as a commercial planner and creative director.

``The Town of Numbers,'' which he wrote, was selected as the runner-up out of a total of 241 entries at the ``1st Kinoshita Group New Director Award,'' which was launched to discover new talent. (By the way, the Grand Prix winner `` AWAKE '' has been made into a movie starring Ryo Yoshizawa. It is scheduled to be released in theaters in December). It is said that not only the interesting story but also the unique personality attracted the judges, including the film director Naomi Kawase.

In the current film industry, where it is said that it is difficult for newcomers to come up with original projects, this film is likely to be a counterattack. We ask director Araki, who has shown his dazzling talent not only in storytelling, but also in building a disturbing atmosphere and worldview, as well as the way he shoots Nakamura and other actors, about the secrets of filmmaking.

Index

• Inspired by "Secret Sunshine"
• Just adding one element to your daily routine can change your impression.
• Town design from the perspective of business owners
• I had a hard time deciding between Tomoya Nakamura and Ryan Gosling.
• I want you to enjoy “I don’t know”

Inspired by "Secret Sunshine"

Q: ``The Town of Numbers'' was an innovative movie that I haven't seen much of in recent years. It's a dystopia, a theater of the absurd, and a piece of science fiction sprinkled with chilling poison. Director Araki, what kind of movies have influenced him so far in making films?

Araki: When I was a student, I was always a cinephile, and I loved director Jacques Rivette. I particularly like "Out One" (71), which is nearly 13 hours long. I even wrote my university graduation thesis about him.

My favorite director is Rivette, but the one I base my work on is Robert Bresson. I'm influenced by accuracy and creating things with the minimum amount of information necessary.

Being the kind of person I am, I was aiming to work in the film industry, but I thought that if I continued to become a film maker, I wouldn't be able to make a living (bitter smile), so I worked as a planner and director for a while, thinking that I had to make ends meet.

Then, when I turned 40, I realized, ``There is nothing else meaningful in life. I have to make movies.'' The movie that woke me up was director Lee Chang-dong's `` Secret Sunshine. '' It was (07).

In Japan, I remember watching director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's `` Happy Hour '' (15) and Rikiya Imaizumi's works, and feeling excited and thinking, ``There's a writer like this in Japan! Maybe I can do something too.'' Masu.

However, rather than being a writer-oriented person, I am also a person who thinks that each work is good, so in terms of individual works, `` Personal Shopper '' (2016) and `` Thank You, Toni Erdmann '' (16) are just the same as ``Number of People''. I saw this movie around the time I was writing ``Machi'' and I love it.

Just adding one element to your daily routine can change your impression.