"Route 29" Director Yusuke Morii x Kazuna Osawa: We want to respond to the acting the director wants to film [Director's Interview Vol. 449]

Yusuke Morii, who made his brilliant directorial debut with " Ami-chan " (22), has released his long-awaited second film, a road movie wrapped in a unique worldview. Starring Haruka Ayase, his traveling companion is played by Ichina Osawa, who showed an overwhelming presence in "Ami-chan". Director Morii and Ichina Osawa, who made their debut with " Ami-chan ", have teamed up again, but how did the two of them create "Route 29"?

The relationship between the two, a director and an actor, may seem like that of friends, parents and children, siblings, or teacher and student, but in reality it is nothing like any of these. Their unique relationship emerges from their conversation.

"Route 29" Synopsis

Noriko (Haruka Ayase), who does not communicate with others more than necessary, works as a cleaner in the town of Tottori. One day, while visiting a hospital for work, she is asked by Rieko (Mikako Ichikawa), a patient, to bring her daughter from Himeji to her hospital. Noriko accepts the request and heads to Himeji alone. Using a photo given to her by Rieko, Noriko is able to find Haru (Ichinose Osawa), an unusual girl who likes to build secret bases in the forest and play there. When she sees Noriko's face for the first time, Haru gives her the nickname "Tonbo" (dragonfly). The two of them begin their journey from Himeji to Tottori along National Route 29, meeting various people, including a woman in red clothes with two dogs, an old man sitting in a car that has been turned upside down, a parent and child who say they are "traveling to escape human society," and an older sister they haven't seen in a long time.

Index

• We met occasionally and played tag.
• The director was trying to act cool.
• I want to respond to the performance the director wants to capture.
• The photo is based on the illustration.
• My next movie is action and animal related!

We met occasionally and played tag.

Q: How much time had passed between " This is Amiko " and this filming?

Morii: It's been about two years since the last shoot.

Osawa: It's been two years. But we would meet up occasionally and hang out.

Morii: Yes, we used to hang out together occasionally. So it didn't really feel like it had been a long time.

Q: How old were you during filming?

Osawa: I was in the summer of fourth grade when I wrote " Ami-chan " and in the summer when I wrote "Route 29" when I wrote sixth grade. I'm currently in the first year of junior high school.

Q: Haru was a role that seemed to have been created with Osawa in mind, but was it written specifically for him?

Morii: I was so worried that he would get angry at me (laughs). But he didn't, so it was fine. The scene in the play where Haru says, "You're all prisoners, line up," is from an episode when Ichina and I were playing in the park. Ichina's friends and I were suddenly lined up as prisoners, and we were made to walk around the park for a while chanting, "One, two, one, two" (laughs). It was based on that.

Osawa: So nostalgic (laughs).

Morii: After " Ami-chan " finished, we had a few opportunities to play together. When Ichina called me to the park, she was there with her friends and said, "We're going to play tag now" (laughs). It was a "town game of tag" like the TV show "Run for Money". She said, "Director, you're the tag!", and I counted a few seconds, then looked around and there was no one there. I went out into the city looking for no one, and as I was wandering around, Ichina called me and said, "It's over, so come back" (laughs).

In the film, there is a character called "Master Salmon," who is based on a real person called "Master Octopus," whom Ichina has always looked up to as her master. I thought I would get in trouble if I used the name as is, so I changed it to Master Salmon. I think Master Octopus is Ichina's best friend. So in the film, Master Salmon is Haru's best friend.

"Route 29" ©2024 "Route 29" Production Committee

Q: What were your thoughts when you received the offer for this film?

Osawa: I was happy to be working with the director again, and I was looking forward to being on a set like we did on " Ami-chan ."

Q: What did you think when you read the script for the first time?

Osawa: I thought it was typical of the director, and I also wondered if Haru was based on himself.

Q: How did you feel when you found out you would be co-starring with Ayase-san?

Osawa: I've always liked him since I was little, and I never thought I'd get to perform with him, so my head was totally confused and I couldn't think of anything at first.

Morii: When it was decided that Ayase would be the role, Ichina sent me a LINE message saying, "God!" (laughs).

Q: What did you think of Osawa-san since " Ami-chan "? He seems to have grown up a lot.

Morii: I felt like he was trying to become an adult. He came onto the set and said, "Good morning." That was the first thing that surprised me.

Q: It felt like Haru was just Amiko grown up, but was that intentional?

Morii: Was that your intention?

Osawa: Not at all.

Morii: Haru was written specifically for Ichina, so it may have just happened that way in some ways.

The director was trying to act cool.