Kore-eda returns to Venice with 'Look Back' premiere
Hirokazu Kore-eda premieres 'Look Back' at Venice, reflecting on his return and his unconventional directing style with young actors.
Veteran Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda premiered his latest work, Look Back, at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, marking his return to the Lido more than three decades after his first appearance.
The film, a live-action adaptation of the hit manga, follows two schoolgirls who dream of becoming manga artists. Natsuki Deguchi and Aju Makita play the older versions of the protagonists, while Furi Nanase and Rokka Okada portray their younger selves.
Kore-eda, now 64, reflected on the passage of time since his festival debut at age 33. "It is a bit of a strange feeling," he said, adding that the previous day's screening had gone well.
The director also offered insight into his unconventional approach to working with the young cast. For Nanase, who plays the younger Fujino, Kore-eda deliberately withheld the script. Instead, he explained each scene on the day of shooting and gave her lines verbally, allowing her to respond naturally. He recalled how her childhood aversion to homework and love for music and art informed the character's personality.
Makita described the atmosphere on set as liberating. "The director is not the person who says, 'you should do this or you should do that.' He left us free," she said, noting that Kore-eda sometimes filmed the actors candidly during casual conversations.
Deguchi added that the bond formed off-screen translated into their on-screen friendship. "We also became very much friends," she said.
Look Back is one of 21 films competing for the Golden Lion, Venice's top prize.