After reading Imamura Natsuko’s novel, Amiko wormed her way inside of me, and hasn’t left since. I think it’s because the character of Amiko resonated with something deep inside of me. The belief deep inside me that contours of the world are uneven, and glittery, and odd, and lively. The belief in such a world, one that exists apart from the confines of society. That feeling is what I wanted to make into a movie.
Seeing Kana Osawa just sitting in the waiting room before her audition, I knew immediately that she was our Amiko. Kana’s eyes seemed to be focused on something far away, something that I wasn’t able to see.
Kana is like a typhoon, free and unrestricted by anything. When she arrived on set, everyone began to move with an almost frightening energy. We tried our absolute hardest to capture that on camera. The time I spent with Kana and everyone was priceless.
What Amiko is thinking. What she’s seeing. What she’s hearing. What world she’s lost herself in. This bright, sparkling movie was made from all of us trying our best to place ourselves in Amiko’s shoes and having as much fun as we possibly could. It made me sad to think that those days would end with the release of the movie. But at the same time, I’m looking forward to the audience finally being able to meet Amiko. I hope that it’s a good encounter.
