“This is what making a film is all about.” A set where he felt this way

At the set of "The Woman in the Diminishing Frame," where co-stars uniformly described the experience as "happy and enjoyable" during a stage greeting following the film's release, "happy and enjoyable" held a meaning beyond mere camaraderie.
"The Woman in the Diminishing Frame" was directed by Chihiro Ikeda, a 27-year-old female director who graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts graduate program. Nishijima had seen her thesis film when it was screened in theaters and thought, "She's an amazing director."
The film also featured the renowned cinematographer Masakazu Tamura. What was his surprising shooting method?

“The actors perform, then based on that, the camera position is decided, lighting is set up, a test is done, and just before we're about to roll, Tamura-san would say, ‘No, not here,’ and change the position. Then, all the lighting would be redone… And if an actor focused too much on their performance within the frame, he would get angry. ‘It’s fine to go outside the frame, or even disappear. Actors are free to move however they want.’”

What an effort that must have been.
Yet, not a single person on set questioned it; instead, the atmosphere was one of "Actually, this is fun," as the film was brought to life.

“We weren’t making a film with predetermined harmony; rather, film is more like… ‘What is it?’”

Nishijima reflects on that time. It was a set where people gathered, expecting something "amazing" from the film, and it was made. A set where he felt, “This is what making a film is all about.”
The resulting work showcases the finest session of its cast.

Sensing “Something Indescribable”

While the making of "The Woman in the Diminishing Frame" sounds quite "athletic," the film itself progresses with an overall sense of calm, occasionally accompanied by an inexplicable sense of unease. What kind of reactions did it receive from the audience?

“People who saw this film would say, ‘I felt something profound and it was good,’ but they seemed to have trouble articulating exactly what that experience was…”

Nishijima began to speak, thinking carefully.



Furthermore, it goes without saying that the performances by the "super" luxurious cast of veteran actors are one of the highlights of this film. Nishijima says that he was able to co-star with "amazing actors," including Kyoko Kagawa, who has worked with legendary directors such as Mikio Naruse, Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Akira Kurosawa, and that he was "shown the difference in their caliber."

“To be able to co-star with such incredible people and witness their presence firsthand was a truly fortunate experience…”

There were many audience reactions regarding the veteran actors' performances as well; for instance, there were specific comments like, "The one shot of Kagawa-san's humming profile was superb."

Simply being able to watch such renowned actors perform on screen makes this a work worth seeing.


Meanwhile, "Holiday" was officially invited to the Discovery section of the 33rd Toronto International Film Festival held last September, and in December, it achieved a remarkable feat by winning the Special Jury Prize in the competition section at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival.
What are the highlights of this film, which is gradually making an impact not only domestically but also overseas? And what is the acting philosophy of Hidetoshi Nishijima, an actor indispensable to the Japanese film industry?

— The second part of the interview is here!


Story
Nogami, the protagonist, is burdened by his deceased father's debts and intends to sell the land where a rundown apartment stands. Misaki, his junior, impulsively quits his job to escape unreasonable work. Ryoko, struggling to find freelance work, tries to resolve her anxieties through marriage. Misaki and Ryoko, by chance, end up living in the rundown apartment on the land Nogami is trying to sell.
Eventually, they encounter life's elders who have lived by cherishing what they have and what they have lost, having overlooked the certainties close at hand…