"Even if I know, the shapes of love" Director Ryutaro Nakagawa creates a love story worthy of adult appreciation [Director's Interview Vol. 460]

One artist per person, a commitment to art

Q: Because the story takes place in an art university, there are many artworks such as paintings and sculptures. How did you go about realizing these?

Nakagawa: One thing I was particular about this time was that I had one artist work with each of the main characters, such as the art school students. In other words, the artworks that each character creates are the work of an actual artist that they were assigned to. For the actors, if they don't have a sense of "this is what the character I'm playing is creating," it can end up looking like a dummy.

It's also related to the fact that it's a love story, and it must be connected to the idea that "I'm making this kind of work, so I'm attracted to this kind of person." I feel that way because I'm also making works. I wanted the actors to take that into consideration, so I had each one assigned to a writer. I borrowed each of the writers' works, but some of them even made their own works from scratch just for this drama.

Q: Was your high priority (attention to detail) towards artworks shared with the production side?

Nakagawa: First, I talked with the producer, and then I conveyed my intentions to the site. This time, a staff member named Takenaka Shimon, who was in the directing department, was in charge of sculpture, and he worked really hard, and Ihara Hirofuki, who supervised the sculpture, also helped a lot. I think all the staff were conscious of wanting to cherish that. It's very difficult to unify the consciousness of all the staff in such a large production. I think I was blessed with wonderful staff members.

Q: I get the impression that the production environment for streaming dramas is better than that for movies in terms of budgets and depth of content, but what is it actually like?

Nakagawa: I learned a lot from this experience; I realized that spending money is also a matter of taste. I think I gained some experience that I can use next time. This time, the project was proposed to me, but I feel like I was given a lot of freedom. I think the discussions were conducted carefully and on the same level. I'm grateful to all the producers for that. As for casting, I was able to ask actors who have appeared in my previous works, so it was very easy to work with them. I'm really grateful that they created such an environment for me.

Abema Original Drama "Even if I know, the shapes of love" © AbemaTV, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Q: You seem to be active at the forefront of movies and online dramas, but what kind of works would you like to create in the future?

Nakagawa: I just finished filming a new movie the day before yesterday, and it was an original script, and it was like a culmination of my work up to now. I think that movies and dramas, originals and original works, are not biased towards one side, but rather go back and forth like a pendulum. I think that making original movies will continue as my life's work, but it's not yet time for me to close the door on my possibilities, and if I'm offered the opportunity to continue working on projects like this one, I would definitely like to do it.

Q: Did you find it interesting to work on an original piece?

Nakagawa: Of course. I felt like I couldn't really go deep if I only pursued my own world. I think who you are is reflected in how you see the world. When you are given a subject, your individuality emerges from what you find in it. There are some things that can only be done with an opportunity like this. Also, because I was given the opportunity to do this work, I was able to realize that there are things that cannot be expressed within this framework. I think that this has helped me to increase the intensity of my next original work.

Director/Screenplay: Ryutaro Nakagawa

"April's Long Dream" (2017) won the International Federation of Film Critics Award and the Russian Federation of Film Critics Special Award at the Moscow International Film Festival. "I Hold the Light" (2019) was specially invited to the Moscow International Film Festival. "Quiet Rain" (2020) won the Audience Award at Tokyo FILMeX. He has produced the Aichi Prefecture tourism video "Let's Play as the Wind. ~Aichi, Home of Ghibli Park~". Other works include "Someday Reaching for the Sea" (2022) and "MY (K)NIGHT" (2023).

Interview and text: Fumio Koda

Editorial staff and writer for CINEMORE. My favorite movies are ``The Goonies'' and ``Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'' My recent favorites are 4K digitally remastered classics by Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu.

Photography: Kazunari Aoki

Abema original drama "Even if I know, the shapes of love"

Available from 9pm on Monday, December 9th (8 episodes)

Streaming: ABEMA, Netflix

© AbemaTV, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Program URL: https://abe.ma/48sIFYo