In the more than 100 years since its birth, many films have been produced. And as the least common denominator of all these films, a "cinematic narrative style" has been formed. The film "The Last Time I Saw You" directed by David Lowery, which is introduced in this issue, is a film about a young man who is a young woman.A GHOST STORY. is a new film, I feel, that strays from the traditional film narrative.
~STORY~.
A young couple, C (Casey Affleck) and M (Rooney Mara), were living a happy life in a small house in the suburbs of Texas in the U.S. One day, the husband C dies suddenly in a car accident. M does not notice his presence, but C, who has become a ghost, continues to watch over his wife, who is still suffering from grief. One day, however, M makes a decision to move on, and C, who is left behind, begins to wander around in search of the last thoughts his wife left behind.
Ghosts are usually associated with horror, but the genre of this film is not horror at all. The story is told from the point of view of a ghost wearing a sheet, which is a novel setting, and the visuals are also very lovely, with only the eyes covered by a sheet with holes in it.
This film is produced by the North American film company A24, and if this name rings a bell, you must be a serious movie buff. If you recognize the name, you must be a movie buff, because the company has been distributing a string of high-profile films such as "Moonlight" and "Lady Bird," and the "A24" logo on the screen before the title roll is a sign of a "good movie. This is because it is a sign of a good movie. As if to confirm this, the film has been nominated for and won awards at film festivals around the world, including the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, and received a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, an American film review site that is highly praised by film enthusiasts.
The next subject chosen by the company that has attracted the most attention from around the world is a novel yet nostalgic story featuring a ghost in a bed sheet. The "afterlife" as seen from the ghost's point of view, something that has never seemed possible before. Where do the souls of those who have died go and how are their sorrows digested? A GHOST STORY", a sad yet beautiful story of a man who continues to watch over his remaining wife in a world where he no longer exists, will be shown nationwide on November 17 (Sat.).
The actors are also very talented.
Casey Affleck, who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for "Manchester by the Sea," plays the role of a husband who dies in an accident and continues to wander around as a ghost in a bed sheet. Rooney Mara, who won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in "Carol," plays the grieving wife who has lost her husband. They are two very talented actors who also co-starred in "Saints: The End of the Promise," directed by David Lowery, the director of this film.
HOUYHNHNM's interviewed David Lowry, the director who created this poetic ghost film, about his work, his native Texas, A24, and more. Please check out the following, even if it is after the film viewing.
I heard that the starting point for this story was a heated debate between you and your wife about whether to stay in Texas or move to Los Angeles. What kind of place is Texas for you?
Director David Lowry: It's home for me. I've lived here all my life and it's where I feel most at home. I love the spirit and the beauty of Texas. I have my roots in Texas . The scenery and the air here stimulate my imagination. It's very different from being in California or New York. For me, it is an important place to create stories.
The emotions expressed in the film are not verbal - M eats the pie, C's ghost makes the lights flicker, etc. . That was unique. . I think it is an important scene to express emotions in a film.
David Lowery: One of the things I'm always careful to do in my films is to be true to my grief. I have lost grandparents, but I have never experienced the loss of someone very close to me or the sudden loss of a loved one. . but I am aware that it can happen at any time. . In the pie scene, I wanted to challenge myself to see how I could physically express my grief. . I was conscious of how to embody the sadness and how to convey it.
The sound of the plate and spoon rubbing against each other in the scene where M eats the pie, the sound of shoes when M walks down the street from her house, the piano, which is an important item in the story, and C's occupation as a composer, all leave a strong impression of "sound, music and silence" in the film. What was your intention with the sound?
Director David Lowery: I see sound as a very important element in my films. I make sure that you can hear the children playing in the background, especially during the pie eating scene, not to mention the music and dialogue. In fact, "sound" was a very important element in conveying the story and theme of the film. I talked a lot with Johnny Marshall, the sound designer, about how to express the sound in the film. I love the way sound transforms a film, and creating sound is one of the most enjoyable parts of the process.
In Japan, for example, there are "Zanpou" and "Ju-On" that depict the opposite side of the darkness. Is there such an idea or culture in the U.S. as well? Are there any films in the past that you found inspirational in terms of this "ground-breaking"?
Director David Lowery: I love the film work about the Horned House. It's an idea that's been around in American culture for a long time. I'm sure Asian cultures have that idea, too, of course. I think in many cases, in films about so-called haunted houses, the ghosts are haunting the house or the place. . This film also incorporates such elements of old-fashioned American culture. I like "Halloween," "The Shining," and so many others, too many to count.
I feel that the view of life and death in this story is different from the American view of religion and life and death. This may be a delicate question, but where does this view of life and death come from?
David Lowry: I was born and raised in a deeply religious family, but I myself am not very deeply committed to religion or faith. . This film is not about that specifically, but rather, it is about my personal thoughts. . For example, the scene where the guy at the party keeps talking. There were days when I couldn't sleep because I was deeply troubled about the meaning of my existence, and I was afraid of what would happen to the earth in the future, and whether I could live optimistically in the midst of it. The man's lines are also a series of words that I came up with to try to figure out how to live beyond that fear. I was trying to regain some peace of mind.
Please tell us how A24 is different from other productions and how easy it is to work with A24.
Director David Lowry: A24 is a very creative company. I felt like I was working on a handmade film. They let me make what I wanted to make, what I wanted to do, not as a commercial film. . Basically, I believe that each studio is different. . I am sure there is a studio for each film. For an experimental film like this one, I felt that the unique studio A24 was a good fit, and "The Old Man And the Gun" (directed by David Lowery) is also a good fit for Fox Searchlight. . I see a studio for a film as the home we usually live in.
Text_Shinri Kobayashi
A GHOST STORY" film
Release: November 17 (Sat), Roadshow throughout Japan
Director: David Lowry
Cast: Casey Affleck , Rooney Mara
Distributor: PARCO
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