PRESS CONFERENCE – Hirokazu Kore-Eda : “The family unit is a theme I enjoy exploring”

The entire team of Like Father, Like Son (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru), a Japanese film by Hirokazu Kore-Eda presented in Competition, appeared before the press. Among them were several of the film’s actors, including Masaharu Fukuyama who plays the role of the family’s very strict father.

Hirokazu Kore-Eda on the recurring analysis of the Japanese family unit in his  films:
It’s not the only subject I look at each time, but it’s true that I am very attached to it. It is a theme I enjoy exploring. I have become a father and I have lost my parents, so it is quite natural that I examine this theme in my films.

Hirokazu Kore-Eda on the film’s main character:
I started off with a character who has a lot of pride and I wanted to create a contrast. I wanted to bring about an upheaval in his system of values, which is why the second family has such a strong identity.

Hirokazu Kore-Eda on working with children:
The two children in the film made me want to make a film with them. My story is inspired by their personality. The endless improvisations, the fleeting moments sometimes give the film the feel of a documentary. We captured moments we didn’t even realise during filming.

Masaharu Fukuyama on his role:
I am not a father and I was worried when I was offered the role of a father. But Hirokazu Kore-Eda told me that it was the story of someone learning to become a father and this was how I approached my role. The film deals with how, like children, adults also grow up. Hirokazu Kore-Eda didn’t give the script to the children, we weren’t playing roles with them, we were having fun. Our work involved capturing the children’s reactions. They were almost unaware that the film was being shot.

Quotes collected by BP