“Moon” Director Yuya Ishii x Joe Odagiri I have never been so thorough about “showing people” [Director’s Interview Vol.366]

I can't help but look away during conversation scenes. It's neither a horror film nor a splatter film, but I can't focus on the screen. The film "Moon" gives us an experience unlike any other film I've ever seen. No, it's not as simple as just giving us an experience. It's more like being grabbed by the collar and interrogated. I find myself speechless, and I find myself in a situation where I can't help but question even the act of being speechless.

" Moon ," a novel by Henmi Tsune, was published in 2017 and is based on a real case of the murder of a disabled person. Director Ishii Yuya, who has read all of Henmi's works to date, boldly adapted the original and burned it onto the screen with all his might. Director Ishii's strong will to unashamedly utilize all the film techniques he has mastered to visualize the story surges forth from the finished film. The extraordinary resolve of the actors involved, including Miyazawa Rie, Isomura Hayato, Nikaido Fumi, and Odagiri Joe, also shines on the screen.

Director Ishii Yuya and Odagiri Joe, who have worked together on a number of films, how did they approach this film? We spoke to them.

"Moon" Synopsis

A facility for the severely disabled located deep in the forest. Yoko Dojima (Rie Miyazawa), who has just started working there, is a former famous writer who "can no longer write". She lives a modest life with her husband Shohei (Joe Odagiri), who calls her "master". Her colleagues at the facility include Yoko (Fumi Nikaido), who aspires to be a writer, and Sato-kun (Hayato Isomura), a young man who loves painting. She also meets another resident, "Ki-chan", who has the same birthday as Yoko. Yoko feels that "Ki-chan" is a stranger as he lies motionless on his bed in a lightless room, and she becomes sympathetic to him. However, this workplace is by no means a paradise. Yoko witnesses the heartless treatment and violence of the other staff members against the residents. Sato-kun is the one who is more angry than anyone else at the injustice of the world. His sense of justice and mission grow stronger, and gradually, in the form of anger, he begins to raise his head. And then, that day finally comes.

Index

• There was no applause at the first screening.
• Thoroughly "showing it to people"
• The influence that actors have on the production
• A common understanding of the scene
• Why did you choose to be an artist?
• The problem is within me

There was no applause at the first screening.

Q: The movie itself questioned me from beginning to end, and I had never experienced such a feeling in my body after watching it. What were your impressions of this story, from the original, the script, and the finished movie?

Ishii: At the first screening, which is watched with people involved in the film, it is usually customary to applaud after the screening, but this was the first film for which no applause occurred.

Odagiri: So that's what it was like.

Ishii: It was a very heavy atmosphere. I think they couldn't get a reaction of applause. Even if it was interesting or boring, people would normally applaud, but there was a distinctive feature that they didn't even applaud. It was quite similar to the feeling after reading a novel. When doing an original work, it's better to have the same feeling after reading it.

"Moon" (C) 2023 "Moon" Production Committee

Odagiri: I agree, I didn't feel like clapping my hands right after watching the movie. I didn't watch it at the first preview, and Ishii was scheduled to be there after the screening, but I left without waiting for him. It wasn't about whether the movie was good or bad, I just wanted to spend some time alone. Even if I met the director, I felt like I wouldn't be able to put my impressions into words well... I remember that's why I left. Even for me, who had read the book beforehand, the movie had such an impact on me, so I wonder how it will be for those watching it for the first time.

Q: I mentioned earlier that the film questioned me, but I had the impression that the film was very subjective, as if it had a personality of its own. And it wasn't just a rough, momentum-based shot, but was shot with a calm, calculated approach. Were you conscious of that?

Ishii: That's right. It was the first time I'd been told that, so I'm actually a little happy. But, how can I put it, the film has a personality... I've never been asked such a difficult question to answer before. It's true that this film has a strange balance between subjectivity and objectivity.

Thoroughly "showing it to people"