"Falling in Spring" Directed by Takahisa Zeze Match scene that creates drama [Director's Interview Vol.343]

With so many masterpieces of boxing movies out there, it must be a lot of pressure to make a new boxing movie. ``Haru ni Chiru'', written by Kotaro Sawaki, directed by Takahisa Zeze, and starring Koichi Sato and Ryusei Yokohama, is a ``serious'' boxing movie that blows away that pressure. Not only the drama that unfolds, but also the boxing scenes that took time to depict accurately. The climax of the fight between Yokohama Ryusei and Kubota Masataka will take your breath away.

How did director Takahisa Zeze create this boxing movie? I asked him about his story.

“Scattered in Spring” Synopsis

Former boxer Hirooka Jinichi (Sato Koichi) returns to his hometown for the first time in 40 years. After deciding to retire, he established a successful business in the United States, but suddenly returned home feeling unfulfilled. Hirooka visits the gym he once belonged to and greets Reiko (Tomoko Yamaguchi), who was once in love with Hirooka and has now inherited the chairmanship from her late father, and goes to meet the two friends who have now completely fallen out of favor. . In front of Hirooka, Shogo Kuroki (Yokohama Ryusei), who once quit boxing due to his anger over his unfair decision loss, appears and begs to be coached by Hirooka. Hirooka's niece Kanako (Kanna Hashimoto) also joins them, and a strange life together begins. Eventually, Hirooka's passion to make Shogo a champion involves not only Shogo but also the people around him who once gave up on their dreams. What will happen to the new lives that each of them risked their lives for?

Index

• Boxing movies are masterpieces
• A boxer's personality revealed during the match
• No choreography in the final round
• What I am concerned about during filming is the sense of distance from the actors.

Boxing movies are masterpieces

Q: Kotaro Sawaki's work has the impression that it has already been made into a movie, but I was surprised that this is the first time it has been made into a movie. What was your impression when you received the request?

Zeze: I've been a fan since I was a teenager, so I accepted the role without a second thought. The biggest hit was a non-fiction piece called `` Terror's Account '' (1978). The boxing book that came after that, `` A Moment of Summer '' (1981), was also good, and those two were very important to me.

“Spring Scatter” ©2023 Movie “Spring Scatter” Production Committee

Q: The strong drama that forms the basis of this film is director Zeze's specialty, but how did you approach it as a boxing movie?

Zeze: I like martial arts, and I often went to watch pro wrestling and PRIDE. In that sense, there may have been some affinity (lol). However, boxing movies are full of masterpieces, and there are many good recent Japanese movies such as `` 100 Yen Love '' (14), ` `Ah, Wilderness '' (17), and `` Small, Slow but Steady '' (22). In a sense, I was under a lot of pressure, wondering what would happen.

A boxer's personality revealed during the match