The suddenly disappeared wife of a billionaire, Suomi. Upon learning that Suomi is missing, five men who loved her gather at the mansion of her current husband. However, the Suomi they describe seems like a completely different person in both appearance and personality…
The movie “Let’s Talk About Suomi” will be released on September 13. The protagonist, Suomi, is played by Masami Nagasawa. The five men who loved her include the first man, the M-type servant Daikichi Uoyama played by Kenichi Endo. The second man, the show-off YouTuber Saemon Tokachi played by Tori Matsuzaka. The third man, the good-natured detective Mamoru Ugajin played by Takashi Kobayashi. The fourth man, the overly nervous police officer Keigo Kusano played by Hidetoshi Nishijima. And the fifth man, the self-centered poet Shizuo Samukawa played by Yajuro Bando.
As they learn that Suomi is missing, her former husbands Kusano, Tokachi, Uoyama, and Ugajin gather at the mansion of her current husband Samukawa. In Suomi’s absence, the men passionately discuss “what kind of woman Suomi is.” This film reveals the mystery of who Suomi really is and where she has disappeared to.
In this ninth film, director Koki Mitani pursues a more “authentic” approach, and we asked Hidetoshi Nishijima, who is teaming up with the director for the first time, about the filming secrets and his feelings for the project.
What Can Only I Do?
— First, I’d like to ask Director Mitani. Could you tell us the main reason for sending out this film now?
Mitani I’m not the type of person who makes things that fit the times; I tend to do what I want to do at that moment. I’ve had the privilege of directing eight films so far, and with this being the ninth, I thought, “What is it that only I can do?” I realized that since I am primarily a stage person, I wanted to see if I could blend the best of stage and film together.
I’ve been told before that my films feel “stage-like,” so I thought, why not embrace that? I wrote the script as a conversational piece like I always do for theater, and I kept the setting relatively unchanged. Similar to the theater, we gathered the actors well in advance to rehearse, and we had actors who are capable of solid performances. My aim was to create a film that feels very much like a play, and that was the foundation for how this movie came to be.
— I would like to hear more about the stage-like direction in the film.
Mitani What I can do is to portray the actors well, or rather, to capture the best sides of the actors on film—though these days, it’s not always on film. I feel everything aggregates into that. Spending ample time on rehearsals and shooting long takes are part of that. All the direction is actor-centered.
— What do you think is the essence of being a film, in that context?
Mitani I wonder what it means to be “film-like,” and honestly, I’m not quite sure (laughs). It can be fine if it’s not film-like; in the end, if it’s interesting or not is all that matters. So I don’t consciously think about it.
