Film director fighting cancer Nobuhiko Obayashi's "will" (Part 1) Oct. 24 20:29

"I will never die until I put the end mark on this movie. In a sense of urgency, even if it is no longer the last movie, I have to make it a movie that is said to have been satisfied and lived. I was in a preparedness. ''

The latest movie that Nobuhiko Obayashi (81) calls himself a “posture” will be screened for the first time at the Tokyo International Film Festival starting on the 28th of this month. Director Obayashi, one of Japan's leading film directors, known for the Onomichi trilogy such as “The Girl Who Takes Time” (released in 1983), was diagnosed with cancer and was sentenced to life expectancy. August 2016.

Last year, when I visited my home in the suburbs of Tokyo, the director's weight was nearly 20 kilos less than before. Director Ohbayashi, who had flattened 400 grams of steak for breakfast, had been told by doctors that prolonged anticancer drug treatment would reduce immunity and killing a cold could be life-threatening.

I've been interviewing director Obayashi for two years, fighting cancer that repeats metastasis, cutting down my life and completing a movie on the theme of “war and life”. From the 20-hour interview material, director Obayashi interprets the “will” included in the movie twice.
(Video Center Photographer Takaya Kawasaki)

"Weight of life" found out from cancer

One year after Director Obayashi was diagnosed with end-stage cancer in lung cancer stage 4, I began interviewing.

On a sunny afternoon in September, when the body was relatively stable, the director took me to my favorite walking course. It is a river promenade that flows in front of your house, where the cosmos sways in the wind.

“If I had time, I was actually running but I wasn't able to run, so I'm walking. I was born in Onomichi, and there was a sea and mountains but no river. There is a river and a thicket of trees. "

Before getting cancer, he was running a 7km course along the river to Koshu Kaido every day.

“I was confident that my physical strength and fighting would not be defeated by anyone. When I was writing a scenario or when I was halfway writing a manuscript, I went out to the table and walked for 20 to 30 minutes. I can't stop the work of a movie. I think while moving. "

When I walked to a nearby park where the sunbeams fell after the heat, the director told me about my feelings while gazing at the weeds.

“We recognize that this is grass, but it has come to life. Everyone is life. Of course, it ’s natural. If there ’s an ant next to me, I ’m sure it ’s a gun. What do you think? "

The scenery that should have become familiar to me was seen differently by the director who was sentenced to life expectancy.

“Everything has come to life”

The words that I heard during the walk remained in my ears.

What kind of movie will the future be filmed by the person who has faced the time left in his life and faced the front that everything seemed to be life? I wanted to know the true meaning of the words, and I started to interview Obayashi.

The latest work "Seaside Movie Theater Kinema Jade Hand Box"

Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
The latest filming started last summer with the hometown of the director. I was specifically allowed to bring a camera to the shooting site.

It is a fantasy movie in which a modern trio of young people who don't know about war can relive the Japanese war from the Sakai War to the Pacific War about 150 years ago.

The story tells that the protagonists are trying to save those who die in an unreasonable war, but realize that the past cannot be changed. Although the past cannot be changed, it is said that this work has a message that knowing the past wars will be the force to change the future.

"You can't change the history with a movie, but you can't get rid of past wars, but you have the power to get rid of future wars. That's the power of a movie. For you, learn the past for you, reflect on the past, adults were stupid and didn't reflect, but you reflected on your behalf to create a wonderful future I want to tell you that, because I thought that past war experiences would be useful in order to hold down future wars in the future, that is the theme of the movie. "

Life weight and war movie

A director who told us that “everything has come to life” even in a daily life. I was wondering how the director expresses that “life” in the movie. There was a moment when I was in close contact with the latest production site.

A scene where a young soldier is ordered to kill a civilian from his superior in the mainland of China. At the end of the filming, the director wasn't in the script, and a silent cut was added that allowed the young soldier to pick up the weeds. It's just a few seconds cut. The director told actor Shinnosuke Mitsushima who acted.

“Let's take care of the grass. American soldiers, Japanese soldiers, grass, sky and sea are all life companions.

Mr. Mitsushima, who played one of the main roles in the previous film by Obayashi. Mr. Mitsushima was originally from Okinawa, and he finally found out that his grandfather was an American soldier.

“The grass in front of me, and my ancestors and my hometown of Okinawa, I knew I was a quarter and my grandfather was an American soldier in Okinawa. Mr. Mitsushima revealed after shooting.

On top of that, “A word from that director,“ What kind of race, where the soldiers, grass, the sky, the sea, everything lives. ” I feel like there is a life, not a matter or an event, but I feel like you've been told the great roots. I feel that the director feels that, "recalled an additional scene of improvisation.

Why did the director cast that word at that time? I was worried about the real intention, and asked a little time after shooting.

“At that time, Shinchan (Minoshima Mannosuke) 's face just wanted to say that. He can express that. Because he is a child of the US military in Okinawa. He feels the pain of history. But a person who has a heart that feels pain can also be gentle.That's good, that expression that he loves grass.A person who has a heart who feels pain can also be gentle. It ’s going to be a movie at that moment. Without it, you ca n’t make a movie. That ’s making a movie with friends. ”

He taught me in a gentle tone.

"Imagination that gives thought to life and pain"

It was a cut with the idea that it would prevent war and lead to peace. A director who puts a message to every detail. An actor who draws in his intention and sublimates in the form of acting. Their interaction strengthened the unity of the “Obayashi Gumi” and deepened the theme of the movie of peace.

Between "Selling movies" and "Movies you want to make"

Director Obayashi, who is known for big hits such as "The Girl Who Takes Time", is known as the flag bearer of idol movies.

In 1977, at the age of 39, entered the commercial film from a commercial director of a popular girl. He has produced more than 40 movies without belonging to a major movie company. It was called “The Magician of Video” because of its novel visual expression, and it also had a great influence on the director of a younger generation called “Obayashi Children” such as Director Shunji Iwai, Director Isshin Inudo and Director Tetsuka Tezuka.

However, contrary to the gorgeous image, Director Obayashi had been struggling with the gap between “sold movies” and “movies he wanted to make” since his debut.

The script for the previous work “Hanagatami” (released in 2017) on the theme of war was actually written more than 40 years ago, before Obayashi debuted as a commercial film director. The commercial movie debut was “HOUSE / House”, but before that, it was supposed to be “Hanaho”.

“Hanagata” is a youth movie based on Kazuo Dan, depicting the anger of youth being taken away by war, set in Japan the night before the Pacific War. In 1975, he wrote a screenplay with the author, Dan, with permission to make a movie. However, the film-making story disappeared in the intent and background of the movie company at that time.

“I was asked by Toho at the time instead of“ Hanagata ”and said,“ Please make an interesting movie like “Jaws”. ”I tried to make“ Hanagata ”a movie. Years ago, Japan was in an era of high economic growth, and it was supposed to be no longer about war, so even if it was made in such an era, it would end in a mere unreliable youth. Well, I was consciously living in non-poly, I can't communicate anything, saying that in a high economic growth, it's not a society where we can think of the defeated boys. That ’s why I stopped Hanako. ”

After that, Director Obayashi hit the hits in a youth movie with a new idol, and became the time of the era.

However, a big turning point comes to the production of director Obayashi's work. The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

“Japan collapsed in 3.11, and the Japanese really reflected on the high economic growth period of the high economic growth period. That kind of eyes has sprung up on the Japanese. After all, the Japanese were people who had a clean soul of the poor and believed in it, so they tried to use 3.11 as a catalyst for rebirth. We believed that we promised, and I have lived a life full of mistakes, so I'm going to reflect my mistakes in a better direction. "

And since 2011, Obayashi started filming on the theme of war. As a culmination of the war trilogy, in August 2016, he started working on the work “Hanagata” over 40 years.
The day before the crank-in, I received lung cancer stage 4 and life expectancy.

War experience and cancer Face life

Reason why Obayashi is particular about war. The clue was left in his youth when he spent his hometown on Onomichi.

The director was born in 1938 in Onomichi, Hiroshima, and spent as a military boy. He showed me the pictures he was eagerly drawing at the time. It is a picture that screams as the zero battle attacks the leaders of the enemy countries America and England.

Growing up with the belief that "going to war and giving life for the country when you grow up", she was defeated at the age of seven.

After the end of the war, there was a rumor that an advance army came and killed everyone. It was said that there was a night when a thoughtful mother killed Obayashi-san and felt that her life would end.

“If you break the country, you don't have life anymore. If you don't have a country, you don't have your own life. So, of course, think about self-determination with your mother. So there is no reason why he can cry out honestly, “Now I do n’t like war.” But now there are only generations who do n’t know war. It's the time when we need it, so what about the Japanese economy, now that the sense of war has been lost and that is moving around the world. People who have to convey their feelings "

74 years since the war experience. Three years since the declaration of life expectancy due to cancer. While being more conscious of “life”, the movie “Director Obayashi” put “weight of life” in the foreground.

Akira Kurosawa's "will"

In February, I flew to Paris. This is to follow Obayashi who was invited to a film festival in Paris to commemorate 160 years of friendship between Japan and France. Manager Obayashi, who took a wheelchair and visited Paris at the risk of traveling, called me to a cafe, Du Mago, who used to be a CM director.

What he told me was the “will” commissioned by Director Akira Kurosawa 30 years ago.

"I wonder if we would know what the war was about. We would expect Kuro-san (Director Akira Kurosawa). The war can happen right away, but there is no peace. It will take 400 years.I (Kurosawa) has been taking over after the seniors, but I am 80 years old and I will not die soon, Obayashi-kun, how many are you? 30 years younger than me, if you are 30 years old, you can go 20 years ahead of me.You learned what you did and experienced in 10 years, and my 20 years later movie From there, if your children and grandchildren continue to connect the baton further, I hope someday my 400-year-old movie, you The grandchildren of the grandchildren may realize this, and the expresser hopes that It ’s only a bureau called “Pursue Peace”, so it takes time, but we have to be united in the tradition and we want you to continue. That ’s the reason why I ’m going to lower it.

I want to eliminate the "future war" in movies

The days of receiving life expectancy and facing the remaining time. Among them, the promise with Director Kurosawa, who has been warming up for many years, is now questioning with a sense of urgency.

“I have three months to live, so I do n’t know if tomorrow will die. When my remaining time is low, it ’s not just for me anymore. As a filmmaker, it's the best time now, when I know my role, when I know what to do, I'm the best. But when I was the most healthy, I passed the time when my body was the most energetic. I accept anything in front of me, I can't lose, and I can't lose it, and I'm still enjoying myself and drinking Perrier at Du Mago today.

Even after receiving the cancer life expectancy, Director Obayashi has stated in public that he will live 30 years and shoot 30 movies.

Two years ago when I started interviewing, the director hated me from taking my old age, and sometimes struck me at the camera. However, the director of the day acknowledged his aged and spoke frankly about the remaining time. I felt that something had changed in my heart.

“You can't change history with a movie. The mistakes we made and wars can't be wiped out. But we can change the future. Isn't it possible to make a movie, because the genre of art is spinning the dreams of mankind that cannot be fulfilled by politics and economy alone, so this grandpa can also talk about it as an experiencer of past wars? If you can connect, my life will be the power to eliminate future wars, so you will be connected, and that will lead to Mr. Kurosawa and Mr. Yasujiro Ozu. It ’s said that now is the time for me to play an active role, and I feel that I have courage in my feelings.

When I finished speaking, I smiled to look up at the sky.

War experience, Kurosawa director, cancer.

The word on the walk that “everything has come to life” may have come to the conclusion that Obayashi's mind came to after a series of questions.

I felt that the previously fragmented interviews have become one. The interview at the cafe was over the promised hour, but even if his wife and producer Reiko told her about her next schedule, the director didn't want to finish the story. (Continued in Part 2)

Video center photographer
Takaya Kawasaki