“Right now, I am writing the script,” Kore-eda said about the Searchlight Pictures film. “I cannot share specific plot details at this stage, but preparations are progressing smoothly. Please look forward to it.”
The director did not disclose a title. He expects to go public formally next year at the earliest and hopes to bring that film to Busan as well.
The festival has kept inviting Kore-eda back since his debut, and the opening ceremony even featured a piece of music named after him. “It is a city and a film festival for which I have exceptionally strong feelings,” he said.
He was joined by “Look Back” cast members Deguchi Natsuki, Makita Aju, Mori Nana and Ishikawa Ruka.
The rotoscoped animation sequence late in the film stems from a single line. After a competition win, Fujino remarks that her dream was to see her manga animated, a comment that temporarily splits the two central characters. Kore-eda said the animation Fujino later makes stands in for a future the pair never got to share.
“Rather than conventional cel animation, rotoscoping sits halfway between live-action and drawn animation,” he said. “Having the characters move within the background art drawn by Kyoko felt like the most suitable form of expression.”
The film opens and closes on shots of Deguchi seen from behind. For the last of these, she said, Kore-eda instructed her, “Show Kyoko through your back.” After a long stretch shooting in Akita with her co-star, Deguchi found herself filming alone. “It felt like she was there, but not there… so with my heart feeling completely empty, I did that shot,” she said.
