Film still of Fuchi Ni Tatsu (Harmonium) © 2016 FUCHI NI TATSU FILM PARTNERS & COMME DES CINEMAS
Fuchi Ni Tatsu: an interview with Kôji Fukada
Strains of Rohmer in the Land of the Rising Sun. While still barely a secondary school student, Kôji Fukada fell in love with this master of the New Wave, who inspired the Japanese filmmaker's first five feature films. This is his first Selection at Cannes with Fuchi Ni Tatsu (Harmonium), the story of a couple whose life is turned upside down by the return of a friend just out of prison.
How did you get the idea for Harmonium?
Harmonium is based on a synopsis I wrote in 2007 but then left to one side for a long time. To get into writing the script I did some research and met people so as to get inside the world of the film, and to know more about things like metallurgy and the lives of disabled people, so that the script could become richer in detail.
How did you go about working on the film?
I always try to create an atmosphere in which the team and the actors are free to express their views, as I think that really adds value to the film, more than a whole world just created in the mind of the director. Although the timelines were very tight, everyone really did a great job.
Tell us something about your actors
The actors in the film really are the cream of contemporary Japanese cinema, and I promise you will see just how skilled they are when you watch the film.
What are your thoughts on the state of the Japanese film industry?
It's very unbalanced. While there are a host of new talents emerging, we're in dire need of a system that allows people to work and express themselves fully. One of the biggest problems is the lack of unity in the industry back home – it's based on nothing but a set of economic interests. We need to become aware of this rapidly, and to develop the real courage to make the structural reforms necessary for our national film industry to develop.
Film still of Fuchi Ni Tatsu © 2016 FUCHI NI TATSU FILM PARTNERS & COMME DES CINEMAS
What inspires you in your work?
My films are influenced by daily life. For example, when I try to describe a family, I can't help thinking back to my own childhood and images of my parents. I've also been influenced by so many films and literary works that it's hard to single any one of them out. However, when I make a film, I never lose sight of two great directors – one French and one Japanese. And I ask myself: "What would Eric Rohmer do?"or "What would Mikio Naruse do?"
Have you already embarked on another project?
I'm planning to do a film in Indonesia. I think it will be a story about the young Japanese living there among the young Indonesians. The powerful memory of the tsunamis in both countries will serve as the backdrop to the film.
