Decoding Visual Language

Tomoki SukezaneHe was originally a photographer. I think there's a certain 'inevitability' to photographers wearing black. There are things like not wanting to be reflected in the shot, and so on.
And there's a sense of solitude, isn't there? The act of looking through the lens and pressing the shutter is a solitary one.
So, I felt it might be strange for him to wear overly flashy clothes.

Especially since the protagonist is often shooting through a lens, that image was in my mind.
Also, a leather coat evokes a sense of masculine melancholy. In the past, Ken Takakura's trench coat had a similar image.

Beyond that, I wanted his personality to shine through rather than his clothes, so I prepared white and gray shirts. I thought it would be good if simple items could fit well with Nagase-kun's character.

I figured Kurigami-san probably felt the same way, so I gathered the clothes. I don't think there were any complaints regarding the menswear (laughs).
But during the fitting, we did have conversations like, 'We shouldn't have him wear too many outfits,' I think.

Kazumi KurigamiSukezane-san brought so many options.

The woman (Rie Miyazawa) changes her outfits each time, but I felt the man (Masatoshi Nagase) didn't need to change much. He's like a recluse. He was once a successful photographer, but due to a certain incident, he dropped out and now takes on shady jobs. He experiences loneliness, the thrill and boredom of peeking, and days of impatience and longing.
So, black seemed to suit him best. I thought it would be best for him to wear the same thing repeatedly, like a 'sore-loser' who never changes.

In the past, it would have been a trench coat, like in yakuza films (laughs). In that sense, he doesn't change clothes often.
So, when he occasionally wears a white shirt, it looks incredibly fresh.──I think that worked out well.

SukezaneI'm glad that aspect turned out as I'd hoped.

──The overall tone of the film is quite dark, but the scene where Rie Miyazawa appears in an orange dress was striking. What did you discuss with Sukezane-san regarding that scene?

KurigamiIt had a great effect, didn't it!
That scene was entirely Sukezane-san's 'intention'.

SukezaneRather than an 'intention,' when I was searching for various costumes, I thought that coat would suit Rie-chan.

Rie-chan's character is the opposite of Nagase-san's in terms of appearance. Yet, their mindsets are somewhat similar. They are both lonely, and I wondered how to make that interesting. So, I focused on choosing things that suited Rie-chan, aiming for outfits that were as glamorous as possible, but could also convey a sense of sadness, loneliness, or perhaps eroticism. I thought it would be interesting if that mood could be captured.

I had a vague idea that it would be visually interesting to have glamorous outfits against the backdrop of the warehouse district, or an extremely elegant style in a grocery store.

Kurigami-san didn't explicitly state these details, but when we discussed it, we decided together, with me suggesting things like, 'Wouldn't orange work well here?'



──That scene felt like a sudden burst of color.

KurigamiWe've kept the colors quite subdued throughout the film. So, I think that color design stood out.

──And Rie Miyazawa in an all-black outfit with a silver wig...

SukezaneLike a sniper, right? (laughs) When I was gathering clothes, I had this image of incorporating a sniper-like element. I thought there might be various situations, so I prepared for it. Of course, some looks were rejected during fittings, but we decided together with Kurigami-san, 'Let's keep this for this scene.' However, 'sniper style' is quite understated, isn't it? (laughs) So, I think Kurigami-san and the hair and makeup team really made the silver wig pop.

KurigamiRie-chan was actually against the silver wig. She said, 'Won't it be too conspicuous?'

But from the perspective of the film, I think it's okay to have some conspicuous, fashionable scenes, scenes that stand out as fashion. Like a day when her mood or mental state is different from usual. In a way, for that scene, she had the same feeling as Ken Takakura in 'Abashiri Prison' when he carried a dagger.
Of course, it's not a yakuza film, so there's no singing (laughs).

So, in terms of what kind of mindset she should convey, there were various clothing ideas. And each situation has its own level of difficulty. I thought it would be interesting if her state of mind, like deciding 'I'm going with this today' while eating a hard-boiled egg, could be subtly conveyed.

SukezaneYes. But looking back, it's a film full of surprises, isn't it? (laughs)
The situations are also unique – Rie-chan living alone, or rather, being alone in that space, and suddenly eating a 'hard-boiled egg.' Of course, without an apron, she's stylishly dressed. It's one surprise after another, isn't it? Ken-san too. That connects to the visual beauty. And I think it greatly influences the story. For the audience, a series of surprises keeps coming, doesn't it? And there's so little dialogue. I think the visuals are incredibly well-crafted.
Because it's that kind of film, I was very happy to be in charge of the fashion.

──As a viewer, the sniper fashion was also a surprise.

KurigamiShe had a certain resolve, didn't she?

SukezaneOh, the sniper fashion was particularly surprising?

──Until then, Rie-san had been living in what seemed like everyday clothes, so suddenly appearing in a sniper-style outfit...

SukezaneThat's a Veronique Branquinho piece, by the way.

KurigamiPerhaps it looked a bit boyish, which might have led you to think that.

──In the bar scene, Yuki Amami's costume was a qipao. Was that Sukezane-san's idea?

SukezaneThat was Kurigami-san's concept. Of course, I think there's an element of surprise there.

KurigamiThat was to make Rie Miyazawa's assassin character 'stand out'.
In a fashion world where clothes change constantly, I felt that if the bar madam also dressed up, it would be hard to distinguish them. So, I decided to go in the complete opposite direction. The violinist who appeared in the same scene also wore a qipao.

Also, I had an image that Yuki Amami would exude a unique allure in a qipao, naturally.



SukezaneShe was very alluring! When I heard about that, I thought she would be.
I researched qipaos and chose one that would look as alluring as possible (laughs).

──Yuki Amami also wore a flamboyant fur coat.

KurigamiThat was amazing, wasn't it? (laughs)!

SukezaneBefore the fitting, Kurigami-san had mentioned something about a flamboyant fur coat.
I thought about it and decided to borrow from 'Fendi,' but they didn't have anything particularly flamboyant.

My personal image was that it would be more interesting if she seemed like someone who 'runs a bar as a hobby and isn't short on money.' Then a friend said, 'If you want a flamboyant fur coat, I have one.'
When I asked what it was like, they said, 'Something like from 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed'' (laughs). That sounded promising, so I borrowed a regular fur coat as well, but when Kurigami-san saw it at the fitting, she immediately said, 'That's it!' (laughs).

It fit Amami-san perfectly, and that's how it was decided. Indeed, that scene was also interesting.

Kurigami'Was she that profitable!'
Yet, the bar is always empty (laughs). Perhaps she was profitable in the past. When Sukezane-kun brought that coat, I thought, 'Oh!'

SukezaneIt suited Amami-san so well, didn't it?

KurigamiPerfectly.

SukezaneShe's tall, too.

KurigamiAnd wearing sunglasses at night. So sharp.

SukezaneLarge ones.

──Could you please give a message to our readers?

KurigamiWith so few lines, the 'beauty' and 'words' hidden within the visuals...
In other words, the 'visual language.' I think if you can deeply feel those things that aren't dialogue, you can immerse yourself in the film. It would be good to immerse yourself in the visuals.

SukezaneI really hope people in the fashion industry, or those aspiring to be, will watch it. Photographers, stylists, though it's not necessary to be so specialized. I believe it's a work where you can feel an aesthetic sense, a discerning eye, that says words and exaggerated actions aren't needed. Please watch it!

GELATIN SILVER LOVE Film Gallery Part 2
A newly shot gallery by director Kazumi Kurigami and actor Masatoshi Nagase.



Click here for screening information for GELATIN SILVER LOVE
Limited one-week run starting August 1st (Saturday) at Meguro Cinema