Yuka Eda is a 24-year-old film director who is attracting attention for her fresh sensibilities. "Shoujo Encounter", which was released in theaters on June 30th (Saturday), attracted attention for its innovative expression depicting the beautiful yet dangerous multifaceted nature of high school girls, and was selected at the film festival "MOOSIC LAB 2017", which is a gateway to success for young directors. It won the audience award. To coincide with the long-awaited theatrical release, the photo exhibition ``That Child and Me, Clues to Memory'' will be held on the 4th floor of BEAMS JAPAN TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS''. Then I interviewed the director.

“I wanted to express the fragility of a girl who is unstable and complex.”

 ━ First of all, please tell us the idea behind ``Shoujo Encounter.''
EDA: When I was 14 years old, my relationships with others didn't go well and I became hypersensitive to people. The closer I get to my friends, the more careless I get to treat them, and the more I care about others, the more I find myself unable to say what I want to say. If you can't get a sense of distance, you'll keep pressing the wrong button and your relationship will break down. This script was written based on a real-life experience that objectively viewed the fragility and fragility of a girl who cannot control her emotions.


━ After having a script written at the age of 18, he started making movies at the age of 22. It's been 4 years.
EDA: Even though I wrote it myself, I quickly realized that it was not a work that an 18-year-old student could handle. I didn't want to force the shot and make it half-baked, so I let it rest for a while. Now that I'm studying film production and seeing what I can and cannot do, I pull out this script again. Without changing the framework, we reworked and elaborated the details right up to the moment of production, including adding special notes to suit the actors Moeka Hosushi and Serina Mottola.

The starring roles include Moeka Hosushi of "Miss iD 2016" and Serina Mottola, who is an exclusive model for the fashion magazine "Soen", the mook of < BEAMS BOY >, and the main visual of "Amazon Fashion Week 2017". Did. The music is specially provided by Natsue Mizumoto, whose strong and ephemeral world view became a hot topic with the release of her first album ``Tenshosei''.

━ How was the casting for the lead role decided?
EDA: The reason I was attracted to both of you is the "difference between what is visible and what is true." I felt a big gap between the outside and the inside. Although Serina Mottola is very active as a model, she is a very simple and pure person who treats everyone with the same attitude. As for Moka Houshi, I got the impression that her inner life was very complex and difficult to read. The character of Miyuri, played by Yasushi, changes greatly during the play, but there are many lines that are based on the range of her acting. This is my first time risking everything on a movie, and the two of us, who are making our first leading role and first feature, worked together to make it happen.

━ “Music = Natsue Mizumoto” Why did you ask Ms. Mizumoto to do the music?
EDA: I've always been a fan of Mizumoto-san's delicate music. Her lyrics don't use direct words like ``I miss you'' or ``I miss you,'' but they simply describe the scene. When I was 18 years old, I wrote ``Girl's Encounter'' while listening to music that could be described as a visual image, so it was only natural that I asked Mr. Mizumoto to compose the music. When I finished it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were scenes where the music and visuals were linked as if they were matching musical notes.


━ Did you have any troubles while writing the script?
EDA: My desire to create something good was so strong that I often lost track of the correct answer. In reality, changing lines all the time is extremely disrespectful to the actors, who have prepared for acting as a technique. Even though I knew it was a no-go as a set-up, due to my inexperience, I couldn't make a decision and had to wait until the last minute to say my lines. During this time, the staff and performers who were of the same generation helped me with last-minute replacements, and I even had adults stay up all night consulting with me. I was able to finish it by repeating this process over and over again.

— Please tell us about the dangerous fantasy surrounding “silkworms” in the play.
EDA: Like director Michel Gondry, I wanted to express a contrast that clearly shows the real world by inserting fantasy into a universal place. Therefore, in contrast to the reality of the ``difficulty of the adolescent mind,'' we inserted the ephemeral and cruel side of the ``silkworms and cocoons'' that change their appearance as fantasy throughout.


This film also features a variety of images, including tense compositions, graphical angles of view, humid colors, pale lighting, and emotional images.

━ It seems that the ``director of photography'' who was responsible for filming using various methods is also a woman of the same generation.
EDA: The cinematographer is a girl who is one year younger than me. I thought it would be easy to communicate with people of the same generation, but I was worried when I discovered that my preferred way of expressing myself was the complete opposite. While I wanted to shoot emotional images, she prefers symmetrical, graphic expressions like Wes Anderson. After that, we consulted with her while looking at many reference videos, and in the end, she was a very talented person who was able to accommodate any difficult request. With this director of photography at the forefront, the young members of the cinematography, lighting, and sound recording departments had the drive to accomplish something even if it was unreasonable, and we were able to shoot with a variety of approaches. In hindsight, I think it was a good thing that her and my completely opposite commitments produced an unexpected performance.


━ Specifically, how did you discuss the shooting method?
EDA: I gave her a list of all my favorite works. The cinematographers did a great job of researching the films, including those shot by Shunji Iwai, Edward Yang, Lou Ye, Xavier Dolan, and Noboru Shinoda. Before I started cranking in, I spent about a week holed up at a family restaurant, calling it a ``proportionate accommodation'', and gave away all the cuts. For example, we had a lot of communication, such as taking pictures from an overhead view or taking pictures at high speed.


━ Are there any cuts that you found particularly challenging?
EDA: This is the scene where the two of them sneak out of school and ride their bicycles through the school. I thought of a way to capture the feeling of rushing out of a narrow world. I'm using my alma mater, but it's not a place where I would ride a bike. However, I wanted to be particular about the way I shot the scene in order to avoid it becoming a drawn-out scene. I think the result was a cut where the camera and subject became one.

━ Please tell us about your path to becoming a film director at such a young age.
EDA: I've loved movies since I was in elementary school, and I've always wanted to do something that involved me. I thought I had no choice but to go to Tokyo to experience the heart of the film industry, so I persuaded my parents to let me move to Tokyo. Then, in May, right after I joined my university's film club, I shot my first short film. After that, I bought screenplays at used bookstores in Jimbocho, read the monthly ``Scenario'' magazine, watched movies, transcribed them, and learned how to write screenplays. While I was in college, I would ask for information about filming locations I could participate in and jump in as an assistant to my seniors.


━ It was impressive to see how the girls changed in the movie, but did you notice any changes in yourself before and after filming?
EDA: I learned how good it is to be carried away. I'm the type of person who has lived my life riding on ordinary rails. I had always insured something, and I was always worried about whether I would be able to make it in this industry, so I always consulted adults about this. During this time, the director who was indebted to me encouraged me and said, ``You're still young, so you can start over as much as you want. Throw away any guarantees.'' How irresponsible! Despite this, I did as I was told and instead of job hunting, I threw away all guarantees and faced this movie. I was at a loss because I couldn't even see the route I was going to take, and the wind wasn't blowing, and there were no waves, but now that I'm on the edge of a cliff, I feel like I understand a little more.


━ What were the particular difficulties you faced in making the film?
EDA: The most important thing is money. The savings I had invested in filming before I could raise money through crowdfunding was way too small to make a movie. For those of us who have experience working on blockbusters, we have a common sense of movies that cost 100 million yen, and the only response we could give to many film-related people was, ``We can't do it because we don't have the money,'' and we were always scolded. I didn't even make a sound when faced with the adults' righteous arguments, but sometimes I would retort, ``We can't do it with this budget!'' (lol). However, in the end, everyone, both the staff and performers, cooperated with us like family, and we had a great time.

━ Do you have any pride as a young “female director”?
EDA: You say "female director," but you don't say "male director." I just want to do my best to photograph what I want to photograph as a person. Also, there are a lot of female directors of my generation now. Girls of a race who would fall apart if they didn't face movies all have similar things they give up in exchange for something, so I'm happy to be able to talk about that synesthesia. It's interesting that even though everyone is petite and cute, their words are very strong.


━ Please tell us what movies you would like to make in the future.
EDA: Like director Bong Joon-ho, I would like to make a film that contains social criticism and satire within entertainment, and that translates that into a form that can be communicated internationally. My film this time depicts a young girl, but I want my work to evolve as I grow into an adult. I want to continue shooting without giving up on the core parts that are important to me.


Starting Saturday, June 30th, the photo exhibition ``That Girl and Me, Clues to Memory'' will be held at BEAMS JAPAN 4th floor ` TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS'' to commemorate the release of ``Shoujo Encounter.'' We also sell limited edition goods that are only available in-store.

━ Lastly, I would like to ask Mr. BEAMS Kubo, who is also a friend of Director Eda. Please tell us about the impetus for holding the photo exhibition on the 4th floor BEAMS JAPAN“ TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS”.

KUBO: This movie is simply wonderful, so I had a feeling I wanted to convey. Although we were friends, I felt that I couldn't see Eda's true nature until I saw the movie. I saw ``Girl's Encounter'' at the film festival ``MOOSIC LAB 2017'' and couldn't stop crying. It saved me when I was a girl, and I'm sure anyone who went through the pain of adolescence can relate. Many of Mr. Eda and the performers love photography, and the behind-the-scenes photos are also great, so I suggested a photo exhibition. Furthermore, BEAMS can also make proposals in the form of fashion. By wearing the goods of your work, you can express what you like and convey the joy of wearing culture.


EDA: It was right around the time that I was making a movie poster. Then, Mr. Kubo approached me about a photo exhibition, and we started talking about creating merchandise as well. The two of us discussed and decided on what items to put the cream soda motif on, including the design. In addition to watching the movie, we would also like you to pick up the limited edition merchandise, and we would also be happy if you could enjoy the photo exhibition as well.