"Midnight Swan" Director Eiji Uchida I want to give back to the movie that saved me [Director's Interview Vol.79]

impressive characters

Q: In addition to the relationship between Nagisa and Kazuka, the relationship between Kazuka and his friend Rin was also very impressive, and I felt that it functioned as a major axis of the story.

Uchida: There are actually many more stories about Ichika and Rin. We had to cut a lot due to the length, but the script was actually written in such a volume that those two people could have made a whole movie just by themselves.

Kazuka becomes what he wants to be through ballet, symbolizing "hope". On the other hand, Rin suppresses her feelings for ballet and becomes unhappy. I made Rin carry the (negative) atmosphere of today's world.

I think it was difficult for Suzuka Ueno, who played the role, because Rin carried all the negative parts. It was very difficult to cast the role, and while Kazuka was chosen easily, the role of Rin was difficult to find, and when Ueno was finally chosen, she didn't have much experience in ballet. It's a role that can actually be compared to Kazuka, and I think he played it under some tough circumstances.

Q: Ichika's mother, Saori, played by Asami Mizukawa, was also impressive. I was surprised that even though she played the role of a mother who abandoned her child, she did not label her as a bad person.

Uchida: I definitely didn't want to portray her as a bad mother. This part was also cut short due to length constraints, but there were scenes at the beginning that depicted the complex problems faced by single mothers, such as the issue of social security for single mothers.

Although she is hitting Kazuka now, I wanted to portray Saori as having a time when she was a good mother, and that she truly loved her.

Mr. Mizukawa played the violent scenes more realistically than I expected, so I was left with a strong impression. Mr. Mizukawa's acting was really wonderful.

Q: The confrontation scene with Nagisa over Ichika really stood out because of the reality of being a mother.

Uchida: Some viewers have wondered why Kazuka is so close to his mother, but I think that's how children and mothers are. Mothers also love their children, even though they have abandoned them.

I want to give something back to movies.