New York Asian Film Foundation and Festival at Lincoln Center revealed their lineup for the 22nd New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). They selected the period piece Mountain Woman, which took place in Tohoku in the late 18th Century.
An outcast named Rin resided in a village suffering from food shortages. She gained courage from Mount Hayacine and its immaculate nature. According to her town’s legend, human souls ascended her after passing away. The film had a talented production team.
Takeshi Fukunaga directed the film. He wrote the screenplay with Ikue Osada. Mio Ietomi, Harue Miyake, Eric Nyari, and Hiroki Shirota produced the movie. Chikako Nakabayashi, Mike Shirota, and Shin Yasuda executively produced the motion picture.
To learn more about the film, read the interview transcript with Fukunaga below.
The Knockturnal: The nature in your film is stunning. How did you select the locations for which to shoot the film?
Takeshi Fukunaga: Most shots were shot in a town called Yamogota. We went to different places in Yamogota and tried to find something that feels, like, untouched in terms of nature. We were very, very lucky to find remote locations such as the forest with many one-hundred-year-old trees. There was the cave where Mountain Man lives. Many centuries ago, people used to live there. To say it simply, we found the locations with the longest history that feels like it’s removed from civilization.
The Knockturnal: Okay. How did your team select the cast members for their roles?
Takeshi Fukunaga: I had many discussions with producers. We started by casting the main characters and lead actors. The film is a period piece. We wanted the correct faces and people that feel the most authentic. We wanted not only great performers but people who could exist in that world. Anna Yamada has a very authentic presence, which fits the character. She brought so much to the character. For many other roles, we went one by one. I was happy to listen to auditions again.
One of my favorite casting choices was Ryûtarô Ninomiya, who played Taizo. I thought he had a kind of physicality and clumsiness, which fit the character. Also, it felt very real.
The Knockturnal: Okay. So, I noticed shadows reoccurred as a motif in the film. For instance, when the authorities accuse Inhae of stealing, his child, Rin, says that she did it. Right before her confession, she emerges from the shadows of the shed. I’m wondering why you chose to have the shadow motif running through the film.
Takeshi Fukunaga: I discussed it with a talented cinematographer named Daniel Satinoff. We tried to make viewers not fear the darkness. Back in the day, everything used to be so much darker even during the day. Inside a house, it would have been so much darker than how it is now. We wanted to embrace and emphasize the darkness. It helped us give the viewer the feeling of being there. We felt that it was a true representation of what life used to be.
In contrast, we wanted to embrace the natural light of the mountain. We emphasized the sunlight when Rin goes to the mountain. It was really our effort to express the authenticity of living in that time.
The Knockturnal: Right after Rin confesses, Inhe slaps her in front of the authorities. How did you film this scene?
Takeshi Fukunaga: Of course, he wasn’t actually slapping her. It was staged. As far as the “how,” the process consists of blocking the fight scene and discussing the movements with the actors. We were very specific about how to shoot those scenes. We had very experienced actors in the cast who were instrumental in terms of ideas.
The Knockturnal: How did the scene change the characters’ relationships?
Takeshi Fukunaga: It changed a lot. At the same time, Anna Yamada performed very beautifully and understood why he did it. For the family, losing the younger brother, who was the man of the house, would have been bigger than losing her. This is because it was a male-dominated society. If the family lost the father, they would not be able to survive. Inhe and Rin understood what was best for the family, even though he never really shows compassion to her until the scene at the stables later in the film. He didn’t really show it, but he did appreciate the decisions that she made.
The Knockturnal: Parts of this film tell a story without many lines of dialogue. Rin makes many observations on the mountain, which we see with her without any dialogue. We hear nature’s noises. We hear the squishing sounds of the elderly woman eating from a bucket. We hear Rin’s footsteps on the ground. Why did you choose to convey her observations in this way, without any dialogue?
Takeshi Fukunaga: I tried to convey Rin’s sense of awe towards nature. Back in the day, people used to have this. It’s still present in Japan, but not as strong as it used to be. That’s something that words could never express or explain to you. Using sound and visuals, giving this kind of spacial presence to nature was very important for the story. It recreated how people used to treat and relate to nature. Of course, she talks about guarding the mountain. Describing nature itself could never be enough.
The Knockturnal: After the scene on the mountain, the film cuts to a conversation between Taizo and Inhe. The characters talk about Rin’s whereabouts. This scene comes after a scene with no silence, which made it striking. Did you choose to do this with that effect in mind?
Takeshi Fukunaga: It just so happened in the editing, I think. I don’t think that was the order in the screenplay. Why? It’s a combination of things. It just felt natural.
The Knockturnal: Rin bows and prays to the mountain twice. What does the mountain symbolize to her?
Takeshi Fukunaga: It symbolizes many things. One of her favorite legends that she told Mountain Man is about the three sisters. That’s coming from the book The Legend of Toto. There’s a goddess of the mountain. She’s very compassionate to the weak. Rin relates to the goddess. On top of that, the spirits are supposed to ascend the mountain.
The Knockturnal: How does the Mountain Man change Rin’s perspective?
Takeshi Fukunaga: When she first passed the border, she wasn’t confident if she could survive. Once Mountain Man accepted her, she felt more embraced by nature. As far as her perspective, I think Mountain Man helps her embrace who she really is. Mountain Man embracing her personality gave her confidence. Towards the end, when Taizo brings her back to the village, she said she felt more human than she did in the village.
