INDEX
Verbal Expression Alone doesn’t Convey My Emotions to Everyone
-In the last scene, Aki reads the letter she wrote to Nochika. Aki says, “Even if you read that letter, no one but me and Nodoka will understand what it says. She says that only she and Nodoka, who share the same “kingdom,” can understand it.
Kusano: Aki wants to stay in the time she has with Nochika, in other words, in the relationship they have spun together. I think the letter condenses Aki’s inability to get out of that relationship. So in the end, even if I put it into words, it would only be understood by the two of us. In terms of writing a letter that may not be understood by others, in the end, the character of Aki remains closed to the “kingdom” with Nodoka.
But I think that’s fine. Just because you “put it into words” doesn’t mean that everyone will understand your thoughts, and in fact, some words can steer in the opposite direction and be misinterpreted.
Kusano: For that letter, the scriptwriter, Takahashi, first created the groundwork. Shibuya-san, who played Aki, read the basic sentence and during repeated rehearsals, he checked whether he had experienced this emotion or not, and added to it.
At that time, I thought it was very interesting to think about whether the person who was identifying the words was the character Aki or the actor Asami Shibuya. As the director, I was also interested in the question, “In which state is she spinning the words?
-When Naoto says to Aki, “It’s good that you are putting words out there,” Aki swallows her words and looks puzzled, and the last scene is impressive. I thought it was a film about holding back what cannot be expressed in words and discovering the expression and face of confusion.
Kusano: That is a very good expression, isn’t it? Hisatake Watanabe, the cameraman, told me, “That scene is the happiest scene for the three of us, and after that, the happy scenes gradually disappear. I thought to myself, “Yes, that’s true.” Within that happy scene, there is an exquisite change of feeling. I thought that was reflected on the screen in his face.
I am proud that I was able to do what I wanted to do. If I had to go further than that, it would have been the expression I was going to use in the production. I brought that take to the end because it was right on the edge of the line.
Domains
Opening December 9 (Sat.) at Polepole Higashi-Nakano and other theaters nationwide.
Director: Natsuka Kusano
Screenplay: Tomoyoshi Takahashi
Photography: Hisatake Watanabe
Sound: Huang Yongchang
Assistant Director: Wataru Hiranami
Art Director: Koyuki Kato
Costume Designer: Yue Ogasawara
Hair and makeup: Rumi Terasawa
Editing: Keita Suzuo, Natsuka Kusano
Ending Song: GRIM “Heritage
Executive Producer: Takuji Echigoya
Producer: Tokuji Suzuki
Planning: Aichi Arts Center
Production: Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art
Distributor: Cogito Works
Cast: Mami Shibuya, Satoshi Kasajima, Tomomitsu Adachi
2018 / Color / Standard / 150 min
Official website：domains-movie.com
