“Drainage” Director Masaya Takahashi x Producer Kazuya Shiraishi Until the script that was rumored in the industry sees the light of day [Director's Interview Vol.320]

The aftermath of the earthquake reflected in the script

Shiraishi: How did you feel about the first draft of “Drought Water”?

Takahashi: I quite liked the script. The script took shape after the 2011 earthquake, but Oikawa-san and I decided on the direction around February, before the earthquake. From the beginning, Oikawa-san and I were thinking of something that would include social issues such as poverty and neglect, but due to the aftermath of the earthquake, we decided to create a story that was also influenced by people's lives and anxieties after the disaster. have become. If anything, I think I was leaning toward a story that was dark and shadowy.

Shiraishi: Even in ``Drought'', there is an event called ``drought in the sun'' that humans cannot do anything about, and there is a part of the story that shows how small humans are in the power of nature. Immediately after the earthquake, I think there was a situation where you had no choice but to think about this, but were there any links between Mr. Oikawa and Director Takahashi?

Takahashi: The Great East Japan Earthquake caused a lot of damage, including nuclear power plants, and there were people in a variety of situations, including those who still had to live there and those who were forced to leave the area. I think that this was reflected in the weak characters in ``Drought'' and incorporated into the story.

“Drought” ©2022 “Drought” Production Committee

Shiraishi: I think I read the script three or four years ago, but was the draft different from the first draft?

Takahashi: The basic structure remained the same, but the ending was different from the first draft. The biggest change was in the role of Kida, who was given more depth. In the first draft of the combination of Iwakiri and Kida, Ikuta and Isomura, Iwakiri worked alone and Kida only appeared here and there.

Shiraishi: Was that change due to the situation surrounding the film adaptation? 

Takahashi: That's right. At that time, there were a lot of movies and dramas called ``buddy movies,'' so it was decided that it might be difficult to make a movie out of Iwakiri alone. So I created another character to take shape and tried to make the two of them work together.

A script that has become a hot topic in the industry