"A Certain Man" Director Kei Ishikawa I had the idea of ​​"making a Japanese movie" [Director's Interview Vol.263]

Kido's situation expressed through noise

Q: In the opening scene where Kido appears, when he closes the airplane window and when he travels in the car with Rie, I felt that there was a disturbing atmosphere. Did you have any plans for Kido's appearance?

Ishikawa: It takes a while from the start of the movie until the main character appears, so I thought there was a need for some kind of fanfare that would tell Kido's story from here. Also, until then, the story had progressed in the idyllic atmosphere of Miyazaki, so I wanted to completely change the atmosphere. This also leads to the discomfort of Kido's identity. I didn't want to handle that part in a monologue, so I intentionally increased the noise around Kido to express his situation, such as the bright light coming in from the airplane window and the sounds of construction work around Kido's house. I was there.

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Q: Chitoyo Koyabu was unexpectedly cast, but he was well-placed as Kido's colleague.

Ishikawa: Mr. Tsumabuki has a great sense of stability, but if you hire someone from a different field, you'll find Mr. Tsumabuki that you don't know. I felt that strongly when we worked together in a drama before. Kido this time has many different identities, and there are aspects to which he is unable to maintain all of them. In `` Gugyoroku '', the character always had a furrowed brow, but this time it doesn't happen that way. When I think about the relationship that Kido feels most relaxed with, I think it would be with his co-workers. So I thought of a co-worker who could give a softer performance, and Koyabu-san came to mind. Those two were actually so funny on set that I wanted to make a spin-off of them in a late-night drama.

Q: Aito Sakamoto, who played Rie's son Yuto, was also wonderful. You are a newcomer and this is your film debut, so what kind of things did you talk about when directing it?

Ishikawa: Out of all the people I met at the audition, I felt like Aito-kun was in the blankest canvas. This time, while various stories are intricately intertwined, this story about a mother and child was a very traditional and emotional one, so I didn't want it to feel too theatrical. It feels like the story is leaning towards Sakura-san, but I feel like it would work better if you put Aito-kun in front of Sakura-san. It was a kind of foreboding casting.

The idea of ​​``Let's make a Japanese movie''