"Small, Slow but Steady" Director Sho Miyake x Yukino Kishii For Keiko to be Keiko [Director's Interview Vol.271]

Exist as Keiko

Q: It was a role where you didn't have to say any lines out loud, so what was it like playing the role?

Kishii: Regarding the lack of colloquial lines, I've been told at various locations, ``It's difficult without lines, right?'' But there are no words for actual boxing matches either. The same goes for the Olympics and soccer. Even so, there is something that definitely draws you in and conveys something. Because of that fact, I thought it was possible to express something without necessarily having to explain it in words. If you don't want to use words, just feel it with your body. Spectators can feel what is happening in a real match. In the same way, if I can exist as Keiko in front of the camera, I'm sure there will be something to convey.

Still, when I first heard the story, I thought, ``What! You don't have any colloquial lines?!'' and ``What should I do?'' After Mr. Miyake was chosen as the director, the director and the staff around me were very reassuring, and gradually I started to feel like everything was okay. If I can exist as Keiko, this team will definitely capture it. I felt that kind of relationship of trust.

“Small, Slow but Steady” Yukino Kishii

Q: It seems like it's difficult to write a script without dialogue, but did that affect you?

Miyake: I'm embarrassed to say that I've never had close experience with the lives of deaf and mute people, so this time I conducted a number of interviews and met a variety of people. We had a lot of help from the sign language interpreter when it came to communicating, but there were times when we communicated by writing, and there were also moments when we could confirm something with silent expressions, and there were many other ways to communicate. There is. I think the reason why the word ``difficult'' comes up is because I'm afraid of being different from myself. But if you can break through that, a very free relationship will develop. That's what I learned this time. So I never thought it was difficult.

I think Mr. Kishii was also able to intuitively trust the other person without fear. In fact, I think that Keiko was able to embody Keiko, who is a free being after thoroughly facing such fears.

Heading to the shoot, heading to the match