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Japanese filmmakers Uchida Eiji (left) and Katayama Shinzo pose for a photo during an interview with The Korea Herald on July 2. (Kim Da-sol/The Korea Herald) |
Uchida Eiji, the Japanese filmmaker who helmed the award-winning “Midnight Swan” (2020), visited this year’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, which kicked off June 29, with the crime black comedy flick, “Life of Mariko in Kabukicho.”
The movie's plot follows Mariko, a private investigator who runs a small bar in Shinjuku’s red-light district. One day, she receives a request to find an alien living among the people in Kabukicho. With the help of her lover, Masaya, a self-proclaimed Ninja, Mariko connects with a group of eccentric people in search of aliens.
Katayama Shinzo, of the hit drama “Gannibal,” co-directed the film with Uchida, each responsible for making three parts in this film, which contains six different episodes.
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A scene from “Life of Mariko in Kabukicho” (BIFAN) |
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A scene from “Life of Mariko in Kabukicho” (BIFAN) |
Uchida, many of whose works deal with underdogs and alienated people in our society, said he was inspired by the B-movies he watched when he was young.
“I learned many references from the B-movies of the 1980s like ‘Basket Case’ (1982). You often hear from mainstream screenwriters that they’re fan of B-movies, and I’m also that kind of case,” the director told The Korea Herald during an interview at the Koryo Hotel in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province on July 2.
He added that B-movies lower the hurdle for filmmakers, creating more opportunities for rookie directors and actors.
“Many B-movie directors visit indie film festivals, but I’ve seen many such festivals where rookie filmmakers are losing ground as the spotlight is on actors with ticket power. I’m honestly not so happy that the stage for new filmmakers is getting smaller,” said Uchida.
He said low-budget B-movies will likely disappear someday.
“In spite of this, the reason why I keep making this kind of movie is that there are audiences and fans. The value of these films won't disappear,” Uchida said.
“Don’t you think director Bong Joon-ho’s ‘The Host’ or ‘Parasite’ can be considered B-movies? They contain various social issues. So did ‘Squid Game’ -- it is a condensed version of Korean society’s decadeslong problems,” he added.
Katayama previously worked as an assistant director on Bong’s 2009 thriller, “Mother.”
When discussing South Korean film industry, which is going through a period of decline due to sluggish ticket sales since the COVID-19 pandemic, director Katayama noted that Japan’s situation is no different, adding that filmmakers should focus on preserving their philosophy.
“I see the Korean market has increased its production costs for filmmaking and improved the labor conditions, but that also creates pressure and difficulties for filmmakers. Japan has not come to that stage yet, but you definitely see high quality contents heading to streaming platforms. But the focus should not be on platform or medium, it should be on maintaining one’s character as a filmmaker,” director Katayama said.
The solution would be collaboration between countries, director Uchida added.
“I know Korean producers visit Japan to meet with filmmakers there, and there have been projects like Hirokazu Koreeda’s ‘Broker’. Borderless films are the key,” director Uchida said, adding that he wishes to collaborate with Korean actors Park Seo-joon and Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok.
