By Jackie Shannon
“It’s about the chaotic aftermath of a major disaster and the new life that emerges from it,” Japanese director, Miwa Nishikawa says. Mournful and challenging, The Long Excuse digs deep into the human emotions of grief and fear. In the grim heart of winter, Sachio’s (Masahiro Motoki) wife, Natsuko (Eri Fukatsu), leaves for a ski trip with her friend Yuki (Kiko Horiuchi). The next morning there is a phone call: the bus carrying Natsuko and Yuki has tumbled over a cliff into a frozen lake. At Natsuko’s funeral, Sachio looks appropriately solemn, but he is unable to shed any tears. The bus company holds a meeting for the bereaved, where Sachio meets Omiya Yoichi (Pistol Takehara), the late Yuki’s grief-stricken truck-driver husband. The two become friends, and as their families come together, their lives become increasingly complicated, as the truth about their reactions to the bus accident slowly simmer to the surface.
“After seeing the news reports of the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, I came to the realisation that beneath the surface, perhaps not all the losses suffered were of the dearly beloved,” Nishikawa says. “There must also have been many not-so-fondly remembered and bitter farewells as well.” Despite its dark themes, Nishikawa works gleaming threads of hope and humanity through her sixth feature film, and hopes that it will be an affirming experience for audiences. “Whether it’s with cherished family, friends or co-workers, I would like viewers to become more aware of the importance and preciousness of the words or time that you exchange or spend with them,” the filmmaker asserts.
Unrolling in stages over Japan’s highly divergent seasons, The Long Excuse sets up a variety of challenges for Nishikawa (the greatest of which she cites as “having non-professional child actors as the central focus of the story”), but she hit pay dirt when she cast Masahiro Motoki in the lead role. “The best advice that I received was to cast him,” the director reveals. “He has the very same personality and characteristics as his character, Yukio. There’s a delicate weakness there as well as a certain self-awareness that’s engaging in a very real, human way.”
A big fan of South Korean director, Ounie Lecomte (“I love her film, Fuyu No Kotori. As another ‘Asian’ filmmaker, she gives me courage and inspiration”), and great Dane, Susanne Bier (“She maintains a keen and meticulous sense of the script. Open Hearts is wonderful”), Nishikawa is quick to point out the flaws in her local industry, and she doesn’t put it down to gender disparity. “The film industry in Japan, in addition to being quite conservative, really lacks the ability to accept anything new and innovative,” she muses. “In reality, the industry only endorses proven material. Currently the presence of female filmmakers is not that rare or surprising anymore, and for a woman to make a film on her own is not that difficult. But for women and men alike, filmmaking is extremely difficult work both physically and financially.”
Nishikawa does admit, however, that being a female director does bring with it singular difficulties in Japanese society. “If you’re a filmmaker, the desire to have a household, give birth and raise children, and to try and lead a ‘normal’ family lifestyle is jeopardised,” she says. “So in order to continue to have working women directors, as long as there is no desire by the industry to provide a means of support for these kinds of needs, it will be very difficult for there to be a ‘next generation’ of women filmmakers.” Does Miwa Nishikawa have any advice for her fellow female directors? “It’s not just for female directors, but my advice would be to not think too much about other people’s work or style, and to just find what works best for you to get the very best results. And regardless of whether you’re male or female, to work together with a staff that understands you as a person, and that can have a mutual respect for each other.”
The Long Excuse screens at The Japanese Film Festival, which runs in Sydney (November 17-27) and Melbourne (November 24-December 4). For all ticketing, session, and venue information, head to the official website.
