Parents and children, so that their respective times overlap.
─ Twenty years after Sophie was in the midst of her adolescent sexual interest and fluctuation, her partner was portrayed as being of the same sex. The play also depicted diverse forms of love, and these scenes led me to believe that Callum was struggling with his gender identity, even in the context of the 1990s. Leaving the facts to individual judgment, was the director conscious of trying to depict fluctuations in sexuality?
Wells: I was going to depict Sophie's adolescent interest in sex. She tries to kiss a boy in the sense of curiosity, but she is not very positive about it, and it is such a tremor in her mind. Later, Sophie sees a scene where two boys are kissing each other, and there is a change in her own emotions at that scene. The film leaves room for various interpretations, so it is natural that there are many opinions, but what I want to say is that I did not want to depict sexuality as repressing Callum himself. I don't think it can be attributed to just one affliction, but something more complex.
He said that there is no single root cause of the problem.
Wells: Yes, he was in a state of repression and was suffering from mental anguish. Yes, he was in a state of suppression and mental anguish, but I did not want to narrow the cause to sexuality. I consciously tried to focus on his mental state without depicting that.
Lastly, I would like to talk about the director's ideal relationship between parents and children. It is a common story that parents cannot show their weaknesses to their children, but in this film, we see a child wishing that he/she could know his/her father inside as a human being. Is it a good parent-child relationship to show one's inner self to each other?
Wells: Blair (McClendon), who did the editing, read this poem.
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
This Be The Verse," Philip Larkin, 1971
(Translation) Though unintentional, parents are a distraction to their children. And their own shortcomings are added to their children's.
I don't think there is such a thing as a perfect parent or perfect parenting. And it is difficult for children to fully understand their parents. Some things come into view as they grow older, but it is still uncertain. So while it is ideal for parents to be as honest with their children as possible, it is natural that there are some things that cannot be shown. I think we have to recognize that children themselves are continually growing up, and we have to take time to get to know each other. What do you think?
─ I always want to understand that parents and children are completely different people. We may think we live in similar worlds, but our thoughts and values can be completely different. I would like our relationship to be one where we respect each other's different perspectives rather than one where we add to each other's flaws, but I also think that we should try not to want so much.
Wells: I thought many times in the subway about how to describe this work. Then I realized that these two have been living apart from each other for some time, and there is an overwhelming amount of time that they do not share. They spend time together on the trip and share joys and sorrows, but there is a "melancholic" part of them for now only. That doesn't mean that the beautiful memories and joyful feelings are cut away when they return to reality, but I think the film is about the combination of their respective times.
I think that may be why I received from Karam the feeling that he was torn between his respect for Sophie's own world and his parental desire for her to be as happy, healthy, and happy as she wanted to be, and yet both were genuine.
Wells: Thank you very much.
