"Kokusô no hi" Director Arata Oshima A unique documentary that depicts the "indifference" of Japanese people like a horror movie [Director's Interview Vol.352]

Arata Oshima's documentaries such as `` Why Can't You Become Prime Minister? '' (2020) and `` Kagawa 1 Ward '' (21) have shown the often-avoided subject of ``politics'' as entertainment. The theme he chose for his latest work is "the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe." Moreover, the method is unique. On the day of the state funeral, photos were taken simultaneously at 10 locations across the country. It provides a clear picture of what the Japanese were doing that day. When written this way, ``Kokusô no hi'' may seem like a modest movie. However, this is a frightening work that vividly shows us the ``indifference'' of the Japanese people, which we are only vaguely aware of. Don't get me wrong, the feeling I get after watching this movie is similar to that of a horror occult movie like `` Rosemary's Baby '' (1968).

How did this unique documentary, which the director himself said was ``confused'' after seeing the finished version, come to fruition? We spoke to Director Oshima.

Index

• A sudden decision was made to shoot three days before the state funeral.
• Our well-trained staff conducts interviews directly.
• Shoot with as flat a mindset as possible
• Reason for releasing the film one year after the state funeral
• I wanted to cherish everydayness.
• Were the Japanese divided?

A sudden decision was made to shoot three days before the state funeral.

Q: I heard that the impetus for making this work was when producer Maeda asked you, ``Aren't you going to do something about state funerals?''

Oshima: I occasionally talk to her about planning and how the world is going, so she said to me, ``I wonder if we can plan something for a state funeral.'' But I wasn't paying attention. When I thought about making it into a so-called regular documentary, I thought it would be difficult because I would have to shoot a lot of material. So, although the idea of ​​a state funeral was on my mind, I kind of put it on hold.

Q: Meanwhile, three days before the state funeral, you heard the news that director Masao Adachi would be screening his new movie ``REVOLUTION+1''*, so you suddenly decided to start filming.

*A feature film based on former Prime Minister Abe's gunman, Tetsuya Yamagami. It was hurriedly produced after the incident, and a screening event of the unfinished version was held in Shibuya on September 27, 2022, the day of the state funeral. The completed version was shown in December of the same year.

Oshima: I think this is one of the key points. Since we were not allowed to enter the state funeral venue, I thought it would be a good idea to film the event at a different location on the day. But that alone doesn't make it a movie. As I was thinking about it, I realized that I didn't have to be alone to take pictures. It's a bit rough, but I think it would be fine if we had 10 directors spread out all over the country. Instead of making a documentary with a story, we decided to make it a sketch from the day of the state funeral.

“Kokusô no hi” (C) “Kokusô no hi” Production Committee

Q: Why did you choose Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Shimizu, and Sapporo as filming locations, which seem to have little connection to state funerals or former Prime Minister Abe?

Oshima: Five locations were quickly decided upon: Tokyo, Shimonoseki (former Prime Minister Abe's hometown), the shooting site in Nara, Okinawa (Henoko), and Fukushima. This decision was made based on the meaning of the land and its relationship with the Abe administration. The other locations will be decided in the second half. Since I wanted people overseas to see my work, I thought it would be better to include cities that are known around the world, so I included Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kyoto. Once that was decided, the rest was balance, and since Hokkaido and Shikoku weren't available, we included Sapporo. The last place I decided on was Shimizu, Shizuoka Prefecture. A few days before the state funeral, I wanted to take pictures of what the people in the area that had been affected by the heavy rains were doing.

Our well-trained staff conducts interviews directly.