Suzume, Makoto Shinkai’s new anime gem, hit theaters on April 12. For the occasion, AlloCiné met the Japanese maestro, who received us with all the humility that characterizes him.
After the triumph of Your Name and Children of Time, Makoto Shinkai is back with Suzume, his new animated film. This time, the Japanese filmmaker takes us to a peaceful little town in Kyushu.
A 17-year-old girl, Suzume, meets a man who says he is traveling in search of a door. Deciding to follow him into the mountains, she discovers a dilapidated door enthroned in the middle of the ruins, the only vestige that has survived the passage of time.
Yielding to an inexplicable impulse, Suzume turns the handle, and other doors then open to the four corners of Japan, letting in all the disasters they contained. The man is formal: any open door must be closed.
Suzume has wandered off to where the stars are, dusk and dawn, a celestial vault where all times merge. Guided by doors shrouded in mystery, she begins a journey to close them all. On the occasion of the release of the feature film, AlloCiné met Makoto Shinkai in Paris.
bestimage Makoto Shinkai
AlloCiné: How did you come up with this idea of a door leading to another world for Suzume?
Makoto Shinkai : Before having the idea of the door, I first had the idea of the ruins. Today, there are many deserted places due to natural disasters or population decline. I really wanted to tell an adventure story that takes us around these ruins.
These can be symbols of many things and are ideal for setting action scenes. In the ruins, there are also always doors, they symbolize our daily life.
We spend our time going through doors, we say goodbye to our loved ones in the morning, we say see you tonight etc. Through these elements, I could express a lot of things.
2022 “Suzume” Film Partners
Why did you choose to direct a female character for your new film?
In my previous film, Les Enfants du temps, I chose to tell the story from a boy’s point of view. I said to myself that I would perhaps direct a heroine for the next one.
Anyway, it’s not a love story; obviously there are a few bits of romance but it’s not really a love story.
The protagonist could be either a man or a woman. Finally, I created two characters, Suzume and Sota, one female and the other male. But it could also have been the story of two girls or two boys.
Your work is very influenced by nature, the beauty of the landscapes. How do you achieve such a degree of realism and aesthetics?
Suzume is a road movie that crosses all of Japan. Therefore, I wanted to show the characteristics and the reality of each place visited. For the realistic side, we needed to do a lot of location scouting all over the country.
We observed a lot of nature, plants, stone walls… We looked really carefully at the shape of each stone. This is how we manage to make these natural settings realistic in animation.
2022 “Suzume” Film Partners
How is a working day with Makoto Shinkai?
It depends on the teams I work with; to make an animated film, you have to hire many craftsmen. Once the production is finished, these independent teams will work on other works.
As they are independent, these people may choose to arrive at the studio in the morning and work until the evening, but others prefer to work at night. The production of Suzume took place during the pandemic period.
I spent half the time at home with my cat, whose name is Suzume. I was very happy to spend time with him.
Many employees have notably worked remotely. Myself, I spent half the time at home with my cat, whose name is Suzume. I was very happy to spend time with him.
Speaking of cats, you put one in the film, the mischievous Daijin, which is very funny. Did you want to add small comic moments in the story to balance with the rest of the very dramatic story?
I’m really glad you mentioned that. Indeed, I wanted to add small humorous touches in this very dark story. I dealt with the subject of the great earthquake in northeastern Japan, which really happened, it is a very heavy subject and it was not necessary to weigh down the spectators either.
I wanted them to enjoy watching this film. I didn’t want the audience to be bored for a single second. However, even though I want people to have a good time, I also want them to ask questions about their daily lives.
If I want people to have a good time, I also want them to ask questions about their daily lives.
For example, Japan is still in reconstruction following this earthquake which generated many victims. I would like viewers to ask themselves these kinds of serious questions as well. This is what gives meaning to the fact of making this film.
2022 “Suzume” Film Partners
daijin
You evoke natural disasters, the film is also imbued with an ecological message, like your previous works; how to evoke these themes without giving moral lessons to the spectators?
Again, I’m very glad you brought that up because it’s something I’m very careful about. Above all, I would not want to give lessons to the spectators.
Above all, I would not want to give lessons to the spectators.
I’m often compared to other directors, great masters like Hayao Miyazaki, and some say that my cinema is much flatter, very light compared to his, which is very deep.
Others compare me to Hideaki Anno or Mamoru Hosoda saying that my films are less interesting than theirs; but what is very important to me is that I really don’t want to give moral lessons. I assume to make entertainment and if my works give some keys of reflection to the public, I would be already very happy.
I assume to make entertainment and if my works give some keys of reflection to the public, I would be already very happy.
Why do I care so much about entertainment? I am convinced that it has a pedagogical and educational virtue. During the 2 hours of the film, the public will live the same experience as Suzume and they will be able to identify with this character.
In 2 hours, the spectators will evolve at the same time as her, learn things and perhaps better understand the others when they leave the room. And if they do it while having fun, that’s even better.
In 2016, when we met for Your Name, you told me that you liked to tell stories about adolescence. 7 years later, looking back, do you still want to direct teenagers or do you want to change?
In my opinion, animation is a medium that is above all made for young people. Adults have a lot of other hobbies like drinking, partying etc. Teenagers mostly divide their time between school and home and watch a lot of anime and entertainment.
At the same time, I am no longer very young today and I feel the distance that separates me from the younger generation. In addition, young directors are beginning to emerge.
I just turned 50 and maybe it’s time for me to tell stories about older characters. People between 50 and 70 are the most numerous in Japan, so I could suggest something else for this audience.
2022 “Suzume” Film Partners
Ghibli recently released Aya and the witch in 3D, what do you think of this technology and do you want to use it in the future or do you prefer to stay with traditional animation?
Was this film released in France? Is that why you know him?
Indeed, it was released last June.
And how was the film received?
Not very well.
(He laughs) Ah ok, actually, I was quite intrigued by this project because it’s by Goro Miyazaki, Hayao’s son.
There are good things in this film but there are others that really make me understand this: only traditional animation can express certain emotions. I really understood that manual drawing still had a bright future ahead of it when I saw this film.
Only traditional animation can express certain emotions.
However, the fact that Studio Ghibli tried to make a CG 3D movie is an admirable thing. Today, fewer and fewer animators work by hand.
Myself, I do not necessarily want the manual method but I would like to use computer graphics to try to sublimate the images produced in the traditional way.
Interview by Vincent Formica in Paris