Top Story: 4.June 2007

On Arura Movie

By Jaakko Saari

So Kawase Naomi really got the credit she has earned in Cannes. I and other fans of her were crying in front of TV as we cheered her new movie! It was so fantastic. This year's Cannes was the best so far, as Michael Moore and directors like Kawase got their work really out and I felt the atmosphere was somehow very unique. Finally the directors who really love true cinema could walk up there, and I could feel how their souls vibrated with the audience. I could feel their hearts even through TV.

In this month's Top Story I want to tell about my new movie, Arura. The production start meeting with my Japanese staff in Tokyo was just amazing and there was very positive and creative atmosphere. Now everything got started. I got overwhelmed with the synergy and inspiration we all have. I am very delighted to direct this movie, especially because I got chance to work with so talented artists.

OK, what is Arura all about?

The word Arura doesn't have a meaning I would know of. But there is a coffee shop in Hokkaido, far away in Otaru sharing the same name. But I like the feeling of the katakana, so I really thought this is good, much better than "Passage of Life" or something banal like that. And yes, it sounds like Aurora, doesn't it?

The movie tells five human stories, all inspired by real events that happened to people I knew or saw.

Human beings must eventually depart and embark to a new journeys in our lives. Sometimes this means losing a job, separating with a lover or simply choosing to try something new.

We must eventually let go of everything, even our own life at the end. When we accept that, we can become happy and realize the true joy of life.

Japanese people have special courage in this sense, and I soon realized that this movie can be only made in Japan. People embrace life and love.

When I was watching Aoi Matsuri in Kyoto, I was thinking about the people in costumes who silently passed by the street, all having calm and happy expressions. They didn't act, they were just themselves. Maybe this is Zen I thought. The human being is enough without added color.

When we rehearsed last Thursday with Izaki-san and other crew, I really realized this. He was speaking his lines, first being nervous, but then all of a sudden he let his body relax and he spoke in pure Kansai dialect. It was just simply magic.

I feel very glad to be a member of this wonderful team. We have a copywriter, sound specialist, manga artist, actress, graphic designer, hip hop dancer, space artist (yes, that is right!) singer and scene artist who worked with Imamura Shohei's film before. More to come on the movie's website later.

We are going to shoot the movie probably in end of August or beginning of September. Before that, there is still long way to go. But we already can feel this will be something nobody has done before.

See the website: www.aruramovie.com

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