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June 17, 2016
Director Shiro Maeda, Kyoko Koizumi, and Fumi Nikaido: "Creepy Past" | MOVIE
MOVIE | Kyoko Koizumi and Fumi Nikaido's Co-Starring Role is the Talk of the Town
A Film by Shiro Maeda, the Eccentric Playwright
Directed by Shiro Maeda, the eccentric and brilliant playwright who leads the theater company 'Gotanda Dan,' and starring two intensely charismatic actresses, Kyoko Koizumi and Fumi Nikaido, 'Creepy Past' is a dazzling, amusing, yet poignant film about love, loneliness, and growth. It opens on Saturday, June 25th, at Theatre Shinjuku and other theaters nationwide.
Text by OPENERS
A Film Enveloped in "Creepiness"
From the opening cicada calls echoing, the noise of the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway, the furrowed brow and languid speech of Kako (played by Fumi Nikaido), the sound of a vinyl umbrella being dragged across concrete – everything exudes a sense of "creepiness." It felt like a manifestation of the protagonist Kako's feeling that "every day is boring to the point of death." Fumi Nikaido brilliantly portrays the adolescent "creepiness" of "I want to escape this boring daily life, but I have no money, nowhere to go, and I don't know what to do."
©2016 "Creepy Past" Production Committee
The spice that livens up this "creepy" film is the appearance of Mirako (Kyoko Koizumi), the aunt who was supposed to have died 18 years ago. Mirako, a former convict whose registered family name has been erased, instantly transforms the reality of the film into the extraordinary. Her every impulsive action – rowing a small boat into a forest at night, making a bomb, disappearing like a phantom thief into the starry night sky… As Mirako's bizarre actions unfold, the vague secrets about her own birth and family gradually come to light, and Kako, the high school girl bored with her life, begins to admire Mirako (future).
Particularly striking in this film are the presences of "alligators," "bombs," and "beans." While much cannot be revealed, the women at the restaurant "Rengetsuan" in Kitashinagawa, the film's setting, are seen shelling beans every day. It's preparation for their signature dish, but the sight of them calmly chatting while shelling beans evokes a sense of peace and warmth, a precious space that remains unchanged through the ages.
The film is directed by Shiro Maeda, an eccentric and brilliant playwright who also heads the theater company 'Gotanda Dan' and has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Yukio Mishima Prize, the Kuniko Mukoda Prize, and the Kunio Kishida Drama Award. He once said, "I tried too hard on 'The Extreme Sukiyaki,' and thought, 'I'm done with movies... they're scary.'" However, with the memory of the late director Jun Ichikawa in his heart, he decided, "This time, I'll shoot what I want to see!" and tackled a human drama with an original screenplay. 'Creepy Past' is a story where past and future coexist. He conceived this idea from scratch and depicts the "present day." Director Shiro Maeda masterfully uses his signature witty dialogue to portray the characters' comical struggles with the inability and desire to understand each other, and their loneliness in seeking a world beyond their current one, drawing the audience into his unique world.
Director Shiro Maeda ©2016 "Creepy Past" Production Committee
Under Director Maeda's guidance, the two major stars, Kyoko Koizumi and Fumi Nikaido, co-star for the first time. Koizumi expressed her delight in working with the young, talented actress, saying, "Although it was our first time working together, I was so happy to see the coexistence of her professionalism while acting and her true 21-year-old self." Nikaido shared her moving experience of co-starring with the superstar: "I felt that the word 'wonderful' suited Ms. Koizumi more than anyone else. I wonder if Kako will continue to chase after the moments she spent with her beautiful, ephemeral, and strong mother."
Just like the leads, the supporting cast is also filled with seasoned actors, each with their own unique quirks. There's Kumi Hyodo, a strong-willed mother who married her sister's husband and raised her sister's daughter as her own; Masayo Umezawa, playing a mother who contemplates her two daughters while smoking; Shoji Ito, whose father character isダメダメ (useless) yet inexplicably alluring; Kengo Kora, who embodies the surreal world; Yuki Yamada, who, in contrast, grounds the story with his playful portrayal of a childhood friend; and the three members of the comedy unit City Boys (Makoto Otake, Kitaro, Shigeru Saiki), whose brief appearances elicit laughter. Particularly noteworthy is the performance of Nozomi Yamada as Kana, Kako's cousin, who constantly clings to her, saying "Kako-chan, Kako-chan." Her acting brings a sense of warmth and amusement.
'Creepy Past,' a dazzling, amusing, yet poignant story of love, loneliness, and growth, as Kako (past) walks towards Mirako (future), opens Saturday, June 25th, at Theatre Shinjuku and other theaters nationwide.
©2016 "Creepy Past" Production Committee
For a Summer So Boring It's Creepy
Kako (Fumi Nikaido) finds every day boring to the point of death. Yet, she spends her summer in idleness, unable to escape or go anywhere else. One day, her aunt Mirako (Kyoko Koizumi), who was supposed to have died 18 years ago, suddenly returns, announcing, "I was alive." Mirako, a former convict whose registered family name has been erased, claims to be Kako's real mother...
"Doesn't everyone feel lonely? Whether you're alone or with family,—" Living with her aunt Mirako, who suddenly appeared, transforms Kako's summer into a special time.
'Creepy Past'
Starring: Kyoko Koizumi, Fumi Nikaido
Also Starring: Kengo Kora, Nozomi Yamada, Kumi Hyodo, Yuki Yamada / Makoto Otake, Kitaro, Shigeru Saiki / Mei Kurokawa, Masayo Umezawa, Shoji Ito
Directed and Written by: Shiro Maeda | Music by: Toru Okada | Theme Song: Nanako Sato "Hana no Yoru"
Produced by: "Creepy Past" Production Committee
2016 / Japan / 120 min / 5.1ch / Vista / Color / Digital ©2016 "Creepy Past" Production Committee
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