Japanese film icon brings his newest film to SIFF
Japanese film legend Yoji Yamada attended the screening of "Mom, Is That You?!" at the Shanghai Film Art Center on Friday.
The 91-year-old Japanese cinema legend Yoji Yamada brought his film "Mom, Is That You?!" to the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival on Friday.
The film, a nominee for the festival's main competition of Golden Goblet Awards, marks the director's 90th feature film and the third installment of his "Mother Trilogy."
This family-themed movie tells the story of Akio's daily tension caused by his job as a human resources supervisor. To make matters worse, he is on the brink of divorce from his wife, and his relationship with the daughter of a college student has not been smooth sailing.
One day, he decides to visit his mother. However, there seems to be something wrong with the situation. His mother is wearing trendy clothes and has fallen in love. Gradually, Akio begins to discover something he had never noticed before.
Director Yamada, winner of the Best Director Award at the 4th Shanghai International Film Festival in 1999, returned to the film fest and expressed his feelings of warmth. He said he missed enjoying dinner with Chinese director Xie Jin back then.
"I feel like I'm not that young and smart anymore," director Yamada said. "I hope everyone can view my movie with a tolerant attitude and be gentle toward me."
As the final chapter of the "Mother Trilogy," the image of the mother in this film is different from those in Yamada's previous works. In the movie, actress Sayuri Yoshinaga impressively portrays a mother who experiences the ups and downs of a romantic relationship.
Yoji Yamada expresses his feeling of warmth at returning to the Shanghai International Film Festival.
"I have my own thoughts on my mother's love affair," Yamada said. "My mother once divorced and remarried. At that time, I was in adolescence and would have had objections, and my heart also ached with pain. However, she was both a mother and a woman, and falling in love was a normal thing. I chose to support her."
When asked about his collaboration with the leading actress, Yamada praised Sayuri Yoshinaga's acting.
"This is the third time she has accepted the role of mother, but the difference this time is that she is also a grandmother," Yamada said. "Her performance has achieved my expected results, which makes me very happy."
Yamada also praised leading actor Oizumi Yo's wonderful interpretation of his character.
Yamada believes that Yo is currently at the pinnacle of his acting skills, adding that Yo is also one of the most popular male actors in Japan.
As to his future plans, Yamada admitted that he had no plans for a new movie at the moment.
He said he was tired after completing this movie and wanted to take a break, but he shared the direction of his creation for the future. Unlike the heavy stories currently popular in Japan, Yamada hopes to create more relaxing works, which he believes is what the audience truly wants to see.
