Kesennuma Premium Screening of the Movie "Sparrow's Door Lock"

The film "Sparrow's Door Lock", which was a huge hit not only in Japan but also overseas, finished screening in Japanese cinemas after 2022 days from November 11, 11 to May 2023, 5. On May 27, the day after the screening ended, the final "Kesennuma Premium Screening" was held at Kesennuma Civic Hall, and director Makoto Shinkai also gave a speech on stage.

It all started with a passionate message sent to Director Shinkai by the chairman of the "Hotaru no Kai," a volunteer group of citizens who organize and run film screenings in Kesennuma, a city with no movie theaters. Director Shinkai responded to the message and made his visit a reality. Furthermore, due to the large number of attendees, an additional screening was quickly scheduled, and two stage greetings were also held.
In this article, we will share the answers Director Shinkai answered in a Q&A session with attendees, including his thoughts on the disaster-stricken areas through this work and the details of some of the most memorable scenes.

*The following contains information about the content of the work. Please be aware of this if you have not yet watched it.

About this screening

Director Shinkai:I thought it was a happy thing for the film that this screening was realized, and that the final screening, so to speak, the "final closing" could be held in Kesennuma. Today, I came to Kesennuma via the Sanriku Expressway, almost the same route taken by Serizawa-kun, who appears in the film (he drives the car heading to Tohoku with the main character). It's been two years since I last came to Kesennuma for location scouting. I fondly recalled staying at Hotel Isomura, which is close to the venue, and scouting locations while eating delicious fish with the staff.

Impressions of Kesennuma

Director Shinkai:I only know Kesennuma after the earthquake, so I wanted to see it before the disaster. Kesennuma is a very famous place, so I had the opportunity to hear about it from many people before I came here for location scouting. I often eat scallops from Kesennuma from friends, and my daughter has come to Kesennuma, so it felt like a familiar place to me.

Communicating the Great East Japan Earthquake through film

Director Shinkai:This movie is based on the Great East Japan Earthquake. I was worried about how well it would be received when people overseas saw it, but when I heard that it was the biggest hit Japanese movie overseas, I felt glad that I made it.
After screenings overseas, I always ask the question, "Do you know about the Great East Japan Earthquake?" When I ask this, about 30% of people raise their hands, while more than half say they don't know. I was surprised that so many people know about it, but I also realized that there are so many people who don't know about it. I traveled overseas hoping that the film would be an opportunity to raise awareness of the earthquake disaster.

The guilt of not being a victim

Director Shinkai:I was making an animation in Tokyo when the earthquake happened. As I myself was not affected by the disaster, I always felt guilty and wondered why it was the people of Tohoku who were affected and not us. With that thought in mind, I made the film "Your Name." I made this film while thinking about what I could have done to help someone at that time and what it would be like if I were to switch places with a disaster victim.
However, I still couldn't wipe away the feeling of guilt that I wasn't a victim of the disaster, so I made the film "Weathering with You." But I still couldn't clear my mind, so this time, "Sparrow's Door Lock" was born.
In the midst of all this, I received a letter from the chairman of the Firefly Association, who said, "I am a victim of the disaster, but I think that all of the people who reached out to us, prayed for us, and mourned for us can also be called victims." It was then that I felt that he had finally acknowledged that, although I cannot call myself a victim, I have always been haunted by the disaster. So I replied that I would definitely go, and that is why I am here today.

Kesennuma, which I visited two years ago

Director Shinkai:I came to Kesennuma two years ago to scout locations. Assistant director Yoko Miki was driving at the time. We visited several roadside stations that were potential locations for the final scene, but ultimately chose Otani Beach Roadside Station because it "has become a new base after the earthquake." Origasa Station in Yamada Town, which appears at the end of the film, was also built after the earthquake. At Otani Beach, we also tried the ramen and soft serve ice cream that appeared in the film.
The COVID-19 pandemic was still in the air when we were scouting locations, so we went around to various places wearing masks, but at dinner at Hotel Isomura where we were staying, we were able to take our masks off for the first time in a long time and eat face-to-face. I remember feeling a sense of liberation, thinking how long it had been since we had actually toasted each other with beer.
Assistant Director Miki:The "peanut cream sandwich" that appears in the film wasn't found during location scouting, but later when we were looking for something unique to this area, we thought it would be the best idea and suggested it.
Director Shinkai:Today, they left a lot of them in the waiting room, and it was actually my first time eating them, but they were really delicious. I'm glad I gave them to Suzume to eat.

The conflict of choosing the earthquake as a theme

Director Shinkai:Over the past six months, my impression of this work has changed drastically.
Immediately after the film was released, I wondered, "Was it really a good idea to make and release this film? Was it okay?" I could imagine that there were people who didn't want to see the disaster depicted in an entertainment film. I often wondered if what I had done was really the right thing to do.
But still, after touring many venues in the last six months, seeing many people's faces, hearing their impressions, and seeing the result of over 3,000 million people around the world watching the film, I gradually felt like it made sense to me. At the very least, the people who saw the film learned that "something like this happened in Japan," so now I think it was better that I did it than not doing it at all.

A detailed look into the film

Director Shinkai:There are many things about the movie that you won't notice if you only watch it once. The key that the "locker" holds is designed to look like a dragon. When Japanese people in the past thought about the cause of earthquakes, they thought that "Japan is a country that sits on top of a giant, long, dragon-like creature, which is why the ground shakes." I designed the locker with the image of using a dragon-shaped key to control the dragon.
People who watch it for the first time may not notice it, but there are some things that are expressed not in words but in the details of the images. The screening has ended, but the DVD will be released and distributed from now on, so I would be happy if you could take a look at those details if you have time.
I'm still a little worried about how people who see the film for the first time will feel, but I made it as an entertainment film, so if it makes people feel even a little excited or thrilled, or even a little more cheerful about the future like Suzume and the young Suzume, then I will have felt it was worth making.

[Editor's note by Kesennuma staff]
The Otani Beach Roadside Station in Kesennuma was depicted in "Sparrow's Door Lock". We are extremely grateful to Director Shinkai and the rest of the production team for showing such concern for the disaster-stricken area and for the way they depicted it with such emotion. The Kesennuma staff is looking forward to the release of the Blu-ray and DVD to discover even more of the finer details!
We hope that everyone who has watched the film and become interested in Kesennuma, everyone who is planning to watch the film, and everyone who is touring the locations where the film was set will also visit Kesennuma.
Thank you, Director Shinkai, for taking the time to visit our city despite your busy schedule!