INDEX
Friendship and love as catalysts for miracles in ‘HAPPYEND’
Can you share your thoughts on the aspect of love in this film, which is closely tied to anger? When I met Neo right after the filming of HAPPYEND, I distinctly remember him showing a photo of the cast embracing each other and joyfully saying, “It was genuinely the best experience.” Watching the film itself, I found myself loving each character, and I was curious about how such a profoundly affectionate work was created.
Sora: (pulling out his phone) Is this what you mean?
Sora: This is a photo taken right after we finished shooting the last cut. The chief assistant director arranged for the scene with all the cast to be filmed at the very end.
It’s a truly amazing photo.
Sora: There are many reasons why this film was able to come together, but a big part of it is that I have deep affection for my friends from my student days, who were also a source of inspiration for this project.
I’m making this film by borrowing from my relationships and experiences with them, and I genuinely love them. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them, and even if we haven’t seen each other for years, when I go back to NY, we can talk just like we always do. Even though I don’t talk much with my university friends who were politically separated from me, I still love them. I believe HAPPYEND was born from remembering them while creating it.
That’s wonderful.
Sora: On a practical level, I’m not a perfectionist, and I can’t use my staff in a military way to fulfill my vision. So, I was conscious of creating an environment where everyone involved could come up with as many good ideas as possible. Plus, I just really don’t like scary people, so I tried not to be one myself [laughs].
Four out of the five main cast members have no acting experience. How did you approach directing them?
Sora: My guiding principle was to help them feel as much like themselves as possible within the imaginary setting. Being “yourself” on set is actually incredibly challenging. It requires a significant amount of trust and relaxation among each other, so I aimed to create a situation where the five of them could naturally become friends.
In reality, they far exceeded my expectations, and a big part of it was that they became friends on their own. By the time we started rolling the camera, their relationships were already somewhat established.
By the way, what plan did Sora have in mind for helping the five get along?
Sora: We started workshops two months before filming, creating time and space for them to work together. This was something I began on the advice of Ryūsuke Hamaguchi. At that time, Mina’s actor, Sina Pen, was still in New York, so we would meet over Zoom two or three times a week. We introduced ourselves and played a game where we would each weave a single lie into our conversation. We also shared one topic we were passionately interested in and could talk about for hours.
Once Sina arrived in Japan a month before filming, we rented a community center two or three times a week for rehearsals and workshops. We increased physical closeness during the workshops and discussed what acting is. We did various activities, but the content wasn’t as important as creating time to do something together.
Sora: After the workshop, I had to head home for another task, but the cast members went out to eat together on their own. I think that’s where their friendships really deepened. I merely created the opportunity; they did the actual work of getting close.
While watching the movie, I grew to love the five of them like they were my own friends.
Sora: Recently, during the screening of ‘HAPPYEND’ in Venice, there was a wonderful moment. Hayato Kurihara, who plays Yuuta, arrived a bit late, and the moment he showed up, Yuki Hi daka, who plays Kou, started crying tears of joy.
What a miraculous team.
Sora: It truly is miraculous, and this is something you just can’t plan! I sincerely believe that the movie exists because of their relationships.
HAPPYEND
Nationwide Release on Friday, October 4, 2024, at Shinjuku Piccadilly, Human Trust Cinema Shibuya, and other theaters
Director & Screenplay: Sora Neo
Cast:
Hayato Kurihara
Yuki Hidaka
Yuta Hayashi
Shina Pen
ARAZI
Kilala Inori
Ayumu Nakajima
Masaru Yahagi
PUSHIM
Makiko Watanabe
Shiro Sano
Cinematography: Bill Killstine
Art Direction: Norifumi Ataka
Music: Lea Ouyuyan Rusli
Sound Supervisor: Miki Nomura
Producers: Albert Toren, Aiko Masubuchi, Eric Niarri, Alex Law, Anthony Chen
Production & Development: ZAKKUBALAN, CineLiq Creative, Cinema Inutile
Distribution: Bitters End
© 2024 Music Research Club LLC
