7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
Kore-eda all in favor of digital tech, but also reveres old ways
Acclaimed film director Hirokazu Kore-eda makes clear he embraces cutting-edge digital tools but also cherishes what's old.
That message rings loud and clear in his latest project.
Shot entirely on the iPhone 16 Pro, 'Last Scene,' a 30-minute short, is currently streaming on Apple Japan Inc.'s YouTube channel and elsewhere.
The story opens as screenwriter Kurata (played by Taiga Nakano) revises his script in a family restaurant.
A woman who calls herself Yui (Momoko Fukuchi) speaks to him.
She says she has come from 50 years in the future and is a granddaughter of an actress starring in a TV drama series Kurata is working on.
She adds that TV dramas have disappeared from terrestrial channels in her world because of his work.
Kore-eda said he was surprised most by the smartphone's Action Mode feature.
'The footage I shot while I was running looked steady as if they were shot (with a camera installed) on a rail,' he said. 'I didn't use the iPhone to record sound, but the sound quality is also remarkable.'
Kore-eda clearly welcomes advances in technology. But at the same time, he wants to resist progress.
'In 1995, when I made a professional debut, films were shot on film. But now, they are shot, edited and screened digitally,' he said.
'I also want to cherish the inconvenient aspects of film. When things become convenient, it is difficult to think of answers on-site,' he added.
While at the restaurant, Yui refuses to order from a tablet and demands a menu with the dishes written on paper.
Although 'Last Scene' is streamed on YouTube, Yui has come to the present day to prevent the extinction of terrestrial TV dramas.
'I wanted to make it a story that isn't simple,' Kore-eda said.
'It is only natural to accept changes in a positive manner,' he continued. 'But I also want to cherish the affection for things that are disappearing.'
'I hope the audience shares the ambivalence the protagonist has.'
