"Kokoro Amiko" Director Yusuke Morii "Just talk" without acting [Director's Interview Vol.222]

Building a ``world'' is one of the jobs of a film director. Yusuke Morii made his directorial debut with the movie "Kokoro Amiko." The world he created has a mysterious comfort, but also an eye-opening reality. How on earth can you create a world like this one?

The children, all with no acting experience, leave a vivid impression on the screen. Arata Iura plays the father, who exists as a resident of this world while also carrying the reality of it. Cinematographer Iwanaga Hiroshi creates a rich, deep European vista. Director Morii manipulates all of these elements with the ease of a maestro, creating the world of "This is Amiko," with a skill that far exceeds that of a new director.

How did director Morii create this world, and what was he thinking about? We spoke to the director himself.

“This is Amiko” synopsis

Amiko is a slightly eccentric girl. She was full of energy and was surrounded by many people, including her kind father, her older brother who played with her, her mother who was a calligraphy class teacher and was carrying a baby, and Nori, her classmate whom she admired. However, her innocent actions inevitably change the people around her. Amiko talks to the transceiver she received for her birthday, which has a dead battery. "Answer, answer. This is Amiko." It vividly depicts the strange, humorous, yet somehow endearing nature of human beings.

Index

• The original work is Natsuko Imamura's debut work.
• ``Just talk'' without acting
• I don't teach acting.
• Director of Photography: Hiroshi Iwanaga
• I want to make a strange movie

The original work is Natsuko Imamura's debut work.

Q: The original work is the debut work of Natsuko Imamura, an Akutagawa Prize-winning author.Was the approval for the film adaptation smooth?

Morii: We submitted the plot and received an email response saying, ``Please proceed with this.'' I think it was smooth.

Q: There are original scenes in the movie that are not in the original work, but were they included in the plotting stage?

Morii: It wasn't included at the plot stage. I can't really rely on the plot because it ends up changing when I write it into a script (lol). When turning a novel into a movie, I think it's like a declaration that says, ``This is how I want it to feel.''

“This is Amiko” ©2022 “This is Amiko” Film Partners

Q: So the original scenes were added at the script stage?

Morii: That's right. I had Mr. Imamura read the first draft, which included that (original) scene. So I received a reply again saying, ``Please proceed with this.'' I always said very few words (lol). I haven't met you yet. The producer was also communicating with me through emails, and I was reading the forwardings.

Q: Mr. Imamura, have you seen the completed movie?

Morii: People watched it and wrote some really nice comments. It will be in the brochure.

``Just talk'' without acting