Commemorating the release of the digital remaster of “Kaze Tachi no Afternoon”, which has been revived for the first time in 40 years! Special conversation between Director Hitoshi Yazaki and Director Yurina Kaneko [Director's Interview Vol.21]

The legendary film that took the world by storm is revived after 40 years. Director Hitoshi Yazaki's debut film ``Afternoon of the Wind'' has been miraculously restored as a digitally remastered version of ``Afternoon of the Wind'' after enthusiastic screening offers and support from fans both domestically and internationally. To commemorate the film's release, we held a special interview with director Yurina Kaneko, who made her directorial debut with 21st Century Girls and is a big fan of Yazaki, and director Yazaki himself. Please enjoy their passionate movie discussion spanning 10,000 words!

Index

• Let's make a movie even if the whole world is our enemy
• Digital remaster that I wasn't interested in
• I was rebelling against things like morals.
• What Hitoshi Yazaki cuts out
• If you depict pure love, there will be no words left
• make a parched movie
• I can hear the current conversation, so it's no good.
• The town is a set of ``March Comes in Like a Lion''
• Just sit next to the movie.

Let's make a movie even if the whole world is our enemy

Kaneko: Previously, the university club (film club) to which I belong invited Mr. Yazaki to a screening of ``The Girl Who Picks Flowers, The Girl Who Kills Insects'' (2000). Both the movie and the director's talk show were very interesting, and at the end we all took a commemorative photo with the screen in the background. That day was a great movie experience. I will always remember it.

Yazaki: I was really happy. I was surprised that there were college students who wanted to see Hanamushi these days, and when I went there, everyone was so excited. The launch was fun too.

Kaneko: It was really fun. After that, Mr. Yazaki gave the film club a colored paper, and on it was written, ``Let's make a movie even if we make the whole world our enemy.'' Even when we hold screenings of movies produced by the film club, there are times when there are only one or two people in the audience. However, those words that are displayed in the club room have saved me and encouraged me to make a movie and that is what students should do.

Yazaki: Drop's created a song called `` Somewhere '' for the ending of `` Musaku '' (2016), and vocalist Miho Nakano's lyrics are great. It's a love song that says, ``I wouldn't care if I made the whole world my enemy...'' I was really touched by that, so I thought, oh, let's copy it (lol).

Kaneko: Mr. Yazaki's comment on ``Afternoon of the Wind'' says, ``This work was created with the belief that if love is the motive for people to love others, there is nothing they should not do.'' Let's make a movie even if we make the inside our enemy.'' I thought the nuances were similar.

``Afternoon of the Wind'' feels like it was filmed just for the two of them, Natsuko and Mitsu, who appear in the movie. The volume of their voices is so low that only the two of them can hear them. There were some lines that I couldn't make out even when I was watching the movie, so I was confused at first. But somewhere along the way, I thought, ``I don't have to find meaning in words.'' However, I took a deep breath and observed the two of them every day, and I realized that there was no need to be proactive.

The movie itself was very shocking. The scene where I pass a woman pushing a stroller on the street is amazing.

--It's a scene where the two of you are standing together holding an umbrella.

Kaneko: Yes. A shot of two people huddled together under one umbrella. I can still clearly remember the way Mitsu looked at her mother, who was unable to bear children. It seemed like the two of them shared Mitsu's complicated emotions.

There are many other things to be concerned about. For example, I thought the props were used in an impressive way. It was also interesting to see the lighter that Natsuko gave to Mitsu change hands. If I remember correctly, Natsuko is the only one in the movie who doesn't have a lighter.

Yazaki: That's right. Do not have.

Kaneko: Yes, Natsuko cannot own the lighter that Natsuko gave to Mitsu. I thought that was also poetic. The handkerchief is also impressive. Just the appearance of a swaying handkerchief on screen reminds the audience of the indoor scene. I watched it thinking it would be educational.

Yazaki: I'm happy. That's how you can see it.

Digital remaster that I wasn't interested in