Directors Miwa Nishikawa and Nobuhiro Yamashita talk about "Film and Whisky" Part 2: Love Cinema. Love Whisky.

If you were to make a whiskey movie now,

Q: We've talked about a variety of movie scenes, but when do you think is the best time to drink whiskey?

Nishikawa: When I go out drinking with people, I usually drink at the second bar I go to. After a long night of drinking and eating, I go to a bar that's open late and drink whiskey with some light snacks. I haven't had the chance to do that in the last year and a half, so it's been lonely.

Yamashita: I started drinking whiskey when Mukai took me to a bar in Golden Gai. He told me he had a bottle he kept, so I started drinking highballs. Maybe that's why when I think of whiskey, I think of Golden Gai.

Nishikawa: That's true, when I go out to drink whiskey, I often think, "That place has some bottles in there, so let's go and check it out."

Yamashita: It's the perfect drink for when you want to talk a little more. Before that, you'd have beer or shochu, but when you go to Golden Gai, it's about time for whiskey. It's like a drink that men drink when they're having a proper conversation at the second or third bar. When you're talking at length, it's nice to have a bottle of whiskey between you.

Director Nobuhiro Yamashita

Nishikawa: But I've hardly ever seen that kind of usage between women. At least not in Japanese movies. It's normal for two women to go to a second bar. But if a woman keeps a bottle of whiskey in a bar in Golden Gai, that seems a bit peculiar (laughs).

Yamashita: That sounds interesting in itself (laughs). But what if, for example, women go camping and have important conversations in front of a bonfire?

Nishikawa: That sounds great. If you drink in front of a bonfire, I can picture a couple of women together. It's a bit like " Thelma & Louise " (director: Ridley Scott, 1991).

Yamashita: In that situation, you wouldn't drink sake or shochu.

Nishikawa: It's definitely whiskey. It's nice to have a bottle quietly placed down there when two women are having a long chat in front of a bonfire.

Yamashita: I wonder what brand it is. Is it an expensive one, a reasonably priced one, a large bottle or a small one-time-use bottle? The way the scene is perceived seems to change depending on the type.

Nishikawa: I'd like to try that scene once.

Q: Finally, if you could film a whiskey commercial with anyone right now, who would it be?

Yamashita: If that dream could come true, I would ask Kurt Russell to put whiskey in the computer again (laughs). Or I would think of a story about Jeff Bridges, a guy who drinks whiskey all the time.

Nishikawa: I would like to ask Judi Dench to play the role. The scenes where she drinks whiskey in the 007 series are always so cool.

Yamashita: I want whiskey to be drunk by people with years of experience. Like Al Pacino or De Niro. It would be nice if there was some drama with a younger person.

Nishikawa: In that sense, Western actors age well, with wrinkles, and whiskey suits them well. That's right, Kate Winslet is also good in " A Man's Fight " (director: Roman Polanski, 2011). The story is about two parents who are supposed to talk about a violent incident between their children, but it turns into a big fight, and halfway through, they all get so desperate that they start opening bottles of high-quality whiskey. The way Kate Winslet lets her guard down there is amazing. She's an actress who has aged well, and whiskey suits her well.

Q: Of course I want to see the movie, but I'd love to see the whiskey commercial you two do. Thank you for today!

A scene with whiskey blended into everyday life. It is the job of a film director to portray that as an aspirational scene. I would love to see such a scene filmed by the two of you. At that time, I think I would have a whiskey in one hand.

In the first part, we asked the two of them to name some movies that feature whiskey, such as "Crazy Heart," "The Color of Money," "Heaven and Inferno," and "The Verdict." Please enjoy this one too! Click here for the first part

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Film director: Miwa Nishikawa

Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1974. Graduated from Waseda University's School of Literature. In 2002, he made his debut as an original screenwriter and director with "Snake Strawberry". His subsequent feature films include "Sway" (2006), "Dear Doctor" (2009), "The Two Who Sell Dreams" (2012), and "A Long Excuse" (2016). His latest work, "A Wonderful World" (2021, starring Koji Yakusho), based on Ryuzo Saki's novel "Identity Book", won the Audience Award in the Foreign Language Film category at the Chicago International Film Festival. His novels include "Sway", "God of Yesterday", "The 5:25 Departure from Tokyo Station That Day", and "A Long Excuse". His essays include "About x Related to Films", "Faraway", and "The Screen is Waiting".

Film Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita

Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1976, he graduated from the Department of Film and Media, Faculty of Arts, Osaka University of Arts. His film "Donten Life" (1999) was highly praised both at home and abroad, and he broke new ground with his hit film "Linda Linda Linda" (2005). He was the youngest person to win the Best Director Award at the 32nd Hochi Film Awards for "Tennen Kokekko" (2007). Since then, he has been popular for his style that combines auteurism and entertainment value, such as "My Back Pages" (2011), "Tamako in Moratorium" (2012), "Moratorium Tamako" (2013), and "Ajiuma Universe" (2015). He won the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists for "Hard Core" (2018). His drama "Kotaki Brothers and Their Struggles" (2020) won the Galaxy Award in the TV category and the ATP Award in the Drama category. His latest work is "Redder Than Yesterday, Bluer Than Tomorrow - CINEMA FIGHTERS project - The Unspeakable Two" (scheduled for release on November 26th this year).

Interview and text: Rie Tsukinaga

Film writer and editor. Editor of the magazine "Eiga Yokocho". Writes film reviews, columns, and investigative articles for "Asahi Shimbun", "Metropolitana", "Weekly Bunshun", "iD JAPAN", etc. Also edits books and film pamphlets under the name "Eiga Sakaba Editorial Office". Currently hosts the web program "Katsuben Cinema Club". eigasakaba.net

Photography: Kazunari Aoki

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