INDEX
Embracing Ambiguity: What Antigone Represents
What inspired the title Antigone?
Ishibashi: The title came to me as I was trying to find words for the sense of discomfort we’ve been discussing. Antigone is often seen as a symbol of a woman resisting patriarchy.
But for me, her story evokes the feeling of being caught in uncertainty—of living in constant tension on the border between conflicting forces. Rather than boldly declaring “This is who I am,” it’s the questioning—wondering if I or the world I belong to is truly right, and existing in between diverse value systems. I think the title ‘Antigone’ emerged from that space.
Would you say you’re drifting between different value systems?
Ishibashi: Yes. I imagine a kind of graveyard in between them.
“Graveyard” sounds a bit grim for a headline, don’t you think? [laughs]
Ishibashi: [laughs] I’ve actually admired spies since I was a child. I think I’ve always been fascinated by people who exist in that kind of ambivalent space.
So it’s the “dual nature” of spies that drew you in?
Ishibashi: Exactly.
There’s such a strong pressure today to “take a side.” People tend to despise ambiguity—those who stand with one foot on either side. And yet, at the same time, we’re often forced into that ambiguous space whether we like it or not.
Ishibashi: I think everyone, in their own way, is being pushed into that space right now. There’s a film called The Milky Way by Luis Buñuel, and in it, Jesus is this blurry, languid figure—kind of turning water into wine, maybe healing the blind, or maybe not. I find that sense of ambiguity absolutely irresistible.
So the film doesn’t portray Christ as an absolute figure?
Ishibashi: Right. And it’s precisely through that portrayal that the absurdity and even the terror of those who never waver in their sense of “righteousness” comes to the surface.
Note: The Milky Way is a 1968 film that follows two pilgrims on their journey, during which they encounter figures like Christ, the Virgin Mary, and various heretics. These religious depictions are presented in a manner said to be “strictly accurate,” with quotes and references based on the Bible, classical theological texts, and church history. (As of April 2025, the film is available to stream on platforms such as U-NEXT.)
The real Christ might have been indecisive too, after all.
Ishibashi: He may have just been a single, conflicted human being.
These days, there seems to be a tendency to shut down that kind of imaginative thinking.
Ishibashi: Maybe it’s because imagining those things makes people uneasy.
