"Enemy" Director Daihachi Yoshida makes movies he wants to see [Director's Interview Vol. 464]

Why was it monochrome?

Q: When did you decide to shoot in black and white?

Yoshida: It may have been quite quick. I think it was around the time I was in the middle of writing the script. This time, the theme was to shoot Japanese houses, so I watched a lot of movies for reference, but inevitably there were a lot of old black-and-white Japanese movies. I think I was influenced by watching them.

This movie started with a discussion with the producer, without thinking too much about "how to sell it," and with the idea of "making what we want to make." So when I said we were going to shoot it in black and white, no one objected. Even when I asked repeatedly, "Is it really okay to shoot it in black and white?", everyone around me said, "Isn't it fine?" In the end, I was a little worried about making the decision on my own, so I consulted with the cinematographer, Shinomiya, saying, "I think black and white is good, but if Shinomiya says color is good, that's fine too." After that, Shinomiya thought about it for about a week, and we finally decided to shoot it in black and white.

"Enemy" ©1998 Yasutaka Tsutsui/Shinchosha ©2023 TEKINOMIKATA

Q: I believe this is your first time working with cinematographer Hidetoshi Shinomiya, so please tell us how you came to work with him.

Yoshida: Mr. Shinomiya has shot many excellent works and was one of the cameramen I wanted to work with someday. When I was discussing staffing with the assistant director, he mentioned Mr. Shinomiya. I had barely met Mr. Shinomiya, so I asked him, "Well, could you ask me to do it?"

When it comes to photography, I do pay attention to what kind of work someone has done up until now, but I don't have a specific look in mind and look for someone who can realize it. Rather, I want that person to step in and take me to a place I couldn't have imagined myself. In that sense, the fact that I hadn't worked with Shinomiya-san before may have been a big reason why I asked him to work with me this time.

Reaction from the previous work