Our Little Sister opens in our cinema this week. We hear from director Kore-eda Hirokazu to find out more about the filmmaking process…
How faithful did you want to be to the graphic novel source material?
Kore-eda Hirokazu: At first I thought I would just rearrange the order of the scenes. But I gradually changed my mind and decided to write a screenplay that included scenes not in the novel. After wondering how I would create something to fit the limits of a two-hour running time without losing the perspective of the original, I thought it would be better to limit the locations and characters, and add episodes instead. For example, the decision to place Ms. Ninomiya from the Sea Cat Diner at the center of the story was made in order to have her take on the role of characters who do not appear in the movie. There was certainly some trial and error but the direction I would take became clear after we had cast Suzu.
Usually your scripts are not completed until after the cast has actually been determined. Was this the case with this film?
KH: It was the same here, even with the original graphic novel to work with. The book’s intriguing monologues and stage directions are striking, but I didn’t want to rely on them too much. So I thought about how well I could depict those tones through the dialogue and expressions of the characters. As I directed, the distinction started to blur. I would wonder: “Was this scene in the original? Was this something I added?” I consider this proof that I was able to make the material my own.
You have created a new and different story of the four sisters…
KH: As I read the original, I thought it was a story about the people around Suzu as they watch her. But in the movie, my intention was to position Sachi and Suzu as the central figures of the story. You have those two, next to them you have Yoshino and Chika, and you have characters like the mother, the great-aunt, and Ninomiya around them… I thought about how these people should be arranged around Sachi and Suzu. In a way, I think this is a story about women.
The form of the four sisters and the beauty of the Kamakura landscapes are very striking. Why did you decide to use Takimoto Mikiya as your cinematographer again after Like Father, Like Son?
KH: The straight posture of the characters is closer to the characters in the film of Ozu Yasujiro than that of Naruse Mikio. The four sisters are very dignified in their appearance. I thought it would be better to shoot them as part of a landscape as opposed to in a documentary style. This is what I had in mind when I approached Mr. Takimoto. We were very careful with camera blocking, determining the composition of a particular scene’s key elements, and shot with a focus on that aspect.
There are a lot of funeral and Buddhist memorial service scenes. The sisters are frequently seen praying in front of a shrine to the deceased, making us aware of people who are not there…
KH: This film is also a story about the father, Suzu’s mother, the grandmother, people who are no longer around. It was a difficult task to depict the traces of these people through the characters’ behavior, dialogue – and things like the whitebait toast – instead of flashbacks, and to show how their feelings towards these people would affect the sisters. I included the fried mackerel scene because I wanted to show how something is passed on even after something is gone. I think an important element of the film is that a part of it has the future in view.
Our Little Sister screens here at HOME from Fri 15 Apr. Book tickets, watch the trailer and find out more here.
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