“The Disappearance” Director Hiro Kano What is needed is an absolutely unwavering “feeling” [Director's Interview Vol.220]

There are some scenes that could not be filmed.

Q: In the film, reality, the past, and the mind (fantasy) intertwine in a complex way, but was the editing done exactly as written? Or were there any changes made during the editing stage?

Kano: In the end, it did change. That's because there were some scenes that were in the script but couldn't be shot. The general flow didn't change, but the connections between scenes did change quite a bit in the editing. We shot additional footage where it was absolutely necessary, but we also omitted some parts that didn't interfere with the flow of the story. Even so, it still took quite a long time to shoot (laughs).

I don't think the parts about reality, the past, and the mind (fantasy parts) have changed much since the script stage. I wanted to make the story start in a situation where you don't know what's going on, and gradually find out. In that sense, I don't think the overall structure has changed much between the script and the editing.

“The Disappearance” (c) “The Disappearance” Production Committee

Q: I can sense your attention to detail in the color tones throughout the film. You've also put a lot of effort into color grading.

Kano: That's right. We did grading for about a month in total. We did quite a lot (laughs). The weather wasn't very good during filming, and we often couldn't shoot at the time we wanted. There were times when we couldn't capture the color tone we wanted on location, so we thought about adjusting it to some extent with grading from the beginning of filming.

Q: There were many twists and turns until the film was completed, but it was successfully released in theaters and has started streaming. Looking back at when you first decided to make the film, were you able to realize what you had envisioned?

Kano: I think we had the best screening ever. I'm sorry for making everyone involved wait, but I'm glad we insisted on showing it in theaters. Some people saw the film, became interested in our team, and even asked us to make a film together. I felt like we had really reached our audience. In that sense, I think it turned out to be a really good movie.

An absolutely unwavering “feeling”