Veteran Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa says he made his latest psychological thriller cloud An attempt to make an atypical action film about ordinary people encountering violence in extreme situations.
On Sunday, during Kiyoshi’s master class arranged by the Busan International Film Festival, the Japanese genre master spoke about the classic American action films he grew up watching in the 1970s, films in which ordinary people were pushed to the edge of their lives and ultimately destroyed. Point the gun at yourself.
“I wonder if I can turn a movie I watched in the 1970s into a story about Japan today,” said the 69-year-old director, who won the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award in Busan. Film professionals or organizations that have made significant contributions. “I wanted to make a story about ordinary people who are trying desperately to live their lives and then are pushed to extreme situations in life-or-death situations. Sometimes people who are not violent at all are pushed to violence in their lives. edge.
Qing history explained cloud Not “a cool action movie.” In fact, the film doesn’t have the stylish action scenes or dramatic themes often seen in Asian genre films. Instead, it is filled with visual cues of mental anguish, reflects on the haunting realities of digital communication, and raises ethical questions about capitalist society.
The film tells the story of Internet dealer Yoshii (played by Masaki Sugata) who is involved in an incident that turns into something unexpected. Kurosawa describes the film as an exploration of how petty resentments and frustrations generated online can turn into real-life violence.
The film’s unique narrative tone and beauty are partly due to the nuanced performance of Masaki Sugata, who plays the protagonist.
“There was very little description of the character in the original script, and even when we met, I didn’t explain the character in detail to Masaki,” he explains. “But Masaki instantly understood what I wanted to capture, and it wasn’t until he played the role that I began to understand the character more fully. There are many touching moments, and his presence is integral to the film. of.
For example, Kiyoshi explained that in the first half of the movie, there is a scene where Yoshii’s girlfriend Akiko tells him that if she had a lot of money, she would want to buy a lot of things. Masaki agreed by simply replying “Of course” during the scene.
“In the script, I didn’t write anything about how Yoshii would act out the scene and say the line ‘OK’ at that moment,” he said. “He didn’t ask either. Masaki played the character the way he understood it. In his answers, his nuances ranged between sincerity and confusion. When I saw him perform this scene, I knew it was It’s Yoshii.
Speaking to a conference room packed with young cinephiles and aspiring directors, Kiyoshi also explained how his films are seen as dark reflections of modern Japan’s post-economic collapse.
“My films are fictional, but I am sure that my views on society will be reflected in my films, whether consciously or unconsciously,” he said. “I shot snake path Late 1990s. I was younger and more relaxed then. We are at the turn of the century, and there is a sense of optimism that the 20th century is drawing to a close and everything will look new again. There is a deep feeling that before the new era begins, we can do whatever we want. But in the 21st century, everything is not as we imagined. There are still unresolved questions and it’s unclear what will happen in the future. About 20 years have passed since then.
Kiyoshi explains that he bears some responsibility for the struggles that Japanese society has faced since the turn of the century.
“I feel a sense of remorse that I created all these fictional movies without taking any responsibility as to whether it was actually a good thing,” he said. “I don’t know how to reflect these emotions in my film right now, but I think they will show up in the film.”
Kurosawa is a regular visitor to Busan and believes the festival can help him connect with a new and changing generation of audiences.
“Since I started making movies, a lot of people have told me that no one will watch movies anymore and that the industry is doomed,” he said. “But the movie still exists and is loved by many people. Whenever I come here and see so many young people watching the movie faithfully and preparing to make new movies, I feel warm.
