The film "Majan Horoki 2020" (A Gambler's Odyssey 2020) recently hit theaters amid controversy following the arrest of actor Pierre Taki on drug-related charges.
Though Taki appears in only three scenes, Director Kazuya Shiraishi did not cut them and opted not to reshoot the film as Taki was arrested only a month before its release. Shiraishi further justified his decision by claiming "the work itself is blameless."
"Such issues cannot be discussed in generalities, and things have to be studied case by case. You cannot draw a line between what is permitted and what is not," Shiraishi said. "I think it's wrong to automatically say we should postpone the release or reshoot the film."
The film is based on the novel "Majan Horoki" (A wandering mah-jongg player's notebook) written by Tetsuya Asada. Makoto Wada directed a film based on the novel in 1984 set in the immediate aftermath of World War II, just like the novel.
"Majan Horoki 2020," however, takes place in Tokyo in 2020 amid a "new postwar period." Shiraishi said he initially opposed making the film as he recognizes Wada's version as a masterpiece. He eventually signed on to the project, thinking, "I can make this work if I can make it into a black comedy."
The way we communicate has changed amid society's emphasis on compliance. In the film, Shiraishi addresses with a comedic touch the fundamental difficulties people face in modern society.
"By sheer coincidence, there's a scene where a character holds a press conference to make a formal apology. I wondered, 'Who should he apologize to?' I've always had doubts about Japan's strange, conflicting moralities," Shiraishi said.
He shot the entire film with an iPhone 8, adopting such an approach because the story is set in the near future. Shiraishi also worried that his previous films felt like they were from the Showa era, which ended in 1989.
The film is the first to include a scene filmed from the perspective of sushi on a conveyor belt, which required ample trial and error in adjusting the brightness and other aspects.
"I actually quite enjoyed the uncontrollable parts," Shiraishi said.
Long before its release, the film courted controversy, including an uproar over its submission to an international film festival and a lawmaker protesting plot points in which the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are canceled.
The story itself is nevertheless surprisingly straightforward and revolves around gambler Tetsu (played by Takumi Saito), who time travels from 1945 to 2020. Through the character, the film explores whether people today live their lives to the fullest.
"Today, there's less of an environment compared to the past where people can take a chance," Shiraishi said. "We often stand out or make mistakes in our lives. I really dislike that our world doesn't tolerate such people."
Through his film, Shiraishi hopes to inspire viewers to stay true to themselves amid the instability of modern society.
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