This World

Have you found "real you" ever?

Kawase Naomi and Koreeda Hirokazu's correspondence through 8mm film.

They met at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in 1995 when Kawase exhibited Embracing and Katatsumori. To confirm each other's insights, they started this project in the aim of presenting the work for the Kirara, the screening event sponsored by Yokohama Museum of Art.

The film starts with the dark scene with Kawase's voice calling Koreeda. Koreeda's voice in the answering machine is transmitted from the telephone set, saying he is not home right now. Despite their willingness, they cannot have communication from the start. Some time later, having shot her everyday surroundings in a straightforward manner, she sends the film to Koreeda. However, the pictures of her life assume merely introductory but at the same time they look quite vacant. Kawase insists that only through understanding her vacancy, we can face each other honestly.

On the other hand, Koreeda, having the 8mm camera for the first time, feels fear and anxiety to observe objects through camera, and eventually confesses that he cannot make a film of himself. The fear to expose the empty part of his life and its tense atmospheric image drag the audience into this film world which makes the audience feel some sort of heartache as if it is his/her own real pain.

Koreeda Hirokazu. Born in 1962. Film Director
Representative Works: Maborosi, After Life, Distance
He also directs TV documentaries and commercials. Recently, he produces young film directors as well.