About to play at Nippon Connection 2024 is Atsuro Shimoyashiro’s Lonesome Vaction (review here), a truly unique play on noir films. It 
is the second feature from director Atsuro Shimoyashiro (co-written by Futoshi Nakano) and starring Takuma Fujie and Kyoka Minakami as Eiichi and Kyoko, an ex-couple who dated for four weeks in university. What brings them back together is the search for the identity of a mystery woman recorded on 8mm film by Kyoko’s late father.
Who was she and what was her connection to her father?
Eiichi is a low-scale private detective working infidelity cases in downtown Tokyo and that experience might be reason enough for Kyoko to hire him but it might be more as deeper existential questions are bubbling underneath for the two and they emerge during their search along the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa Prefecture, the location the footage was shot in. As they meet people with connections to the woman, each person informs the two about what might be imperfect in their lives but also shows them that living life with love and romanticism is a path forward to growth.
The film is deceptively light-hearted, relaxed, and cool as it explores these issues. It gains such power because Shimoyashiro plays against noir tropes and stylisation and the film goes from being an “investigation” into a “vacation” where loneliness is overcome and each time I watch it, I am charmed by the acting, locations, and overall look as well as the characters who aslo prove to be distinctively offbeat.
I should have expected such surprises because that was what I got with director Shimoyashiro’s other films.
I first met Atsuro Shimoyashiro when he brought his feature-length debut The Modern Lovers to at Osaka Asian Film Festival 2020 and sat down for an interview (which is where the image to the right comes from!) to discuss his regret-filled drama of love lost during a coastal sojourn by a cheating man and a women from his past. This was another film that is deceptively light but the weight of the drama really hit at the finale. I next covered his film Kidofuji (interview), a one-shot short set at the same-named standing bar in Koenji, Tokyo, that shows up in Lonesome Vacation. When it came time to check out his latest work, I was definitely excited and he generously took part in an interview!
My first question is… How did this project get going and where did the title come from?
Ryu Morioka, the producer of this film, proposed to me an idea to make a movie together. There was a government subsidy from the Agency for Cultural Affairs in 2022 to support the film industry in Japan, and he wanted to use it. There was another script that I had written, but it didn’t fit the budget, so I made a new one. The producer wanted to make it a detective movie from the start.
The tentative title for the film was “Dawn”, just because it ended with the dawn. But I had another title, “Lonesome Vacation,” in my mind during the shooting of the film. I’ve seen the word ‘Lonesome’ used in titles of Oldies and Rockabilly songs like “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” By Elvis Presley and “Lonesome Town” by Ricky Nelson. I don’t think the word is used commonly in the modern era, but it fits the movie’s themes.
As for the word ‘Vacation’ in the title, the movie is about ‘vacance’ and also it is be seen in Connie Francis’ song. And I matched these two words and it became the title. The fact that the neighboring shop at the filming location happened to be “Lonesome hog” was also a deciding factor.
There are lots of specificities such as the Miura Peninsula and Blue Marine cigarettes and J-League and the use of Hakushu Kitahara that make for a unique mystery. Where did the story come from and how long did it take to write and weave in details like the aforementioned clues?
Due to the budget, we had to choose somewhere very close to Tokyo, and the Miura Peninsula was the first to be decided upon during the scenario stage. I had never been there during the scriptwriting phase.
During the location hunting, we found out about the connection between Hakushu Kitahara and the Miura Peninsula. We actually went to the memorial museum and asked a few questions, too.
The fictional cigarette “Blue Marine” is actually inspired by a fake cigarette commercial created by the YouTuber Filmest TV. The 8mm film scenes were also influenced by this.
When I think of private detective films, I come up with titles like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Under the Silver Lake and Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye and Kaizo Hayashi’s Maiku Hama trilogy. Oh, and Takashi Ishii’s A Night in the Nude. Did you have any influences such as these when making Lonesome Vacation?
The script I was writing before this film was heavily influenced by Under the Silver Lake. That movie is not exactly a detective film, but it’s about finding something mysterious. I think some aspects of that style carried over into this movie as well.
Of course, the film is also influenced by The Long Goodbye and the Maiku Hama series. The office residence being in a somewhat rundown location, along with Hama Mike’s distinctive fashion and hairstyle, also served as references.
I haven’t watched A Night in the Nude, I will watch it. The scene where Eiichi is sketching in the car while it’s raining outside is quite reminiscent of Takashi Ishii’s style, isn’t it?
I really liked Eiichi. His rockabilly style sets him apart and I loved his intuitive investigative methods that fit in with the “go with the flow” atmosphere. In a way, his style and behaviour make him a cross between Maiku Hama and Long Goodbye’s Marlowe. Where did the character come from and how did you work with Takuma Fujie to create Eiichi?
It was decided from the start that Takuma Fujie would be the main actor in the film. This is because he was an up-and-coming young actor affiliated with My Turn Entertainment, the company managed by producer Morioka.
I had never met Fujie before this movie, but he’s the lead actor, so we had a meeting once and talked about his role in the film. Like me, Fujie is into music and skateboarding, and these interests are directly reflected in the character of Eiichi Furuya. Much of the character was written specifically for him.
I believe there are aspects, such as the unique dialogue and the subtle distance between the women, that worked well because of him.
We practiced guitar and singing at a park before shooting, and I also took him to the standing bar Kidofuji and shared its unique atmosphere.
Kyoka Minakami could be a femme fatale based on her look in various scenes – so many great costumes and that moment when she blows smoke in Takuma Fujie’s face! – but she remains a philosophical and restrained person displaying more wisdom than sass.
In contrast to Eiichi, who values analogue and non-modern gadgets, Kyoko is designed as a woman with a career who works energetically at the forefront of urban life. For example, she smokes heated tobacco product instead of traditional cigarettes. While she may be a femme fatale in the narrative sense, she is not a woman who seduces and toys with men like Marina from The Modern Lovers. Kyoko maintains a somewhat cool demeanour and stubbornly clings to her adult façade, but I intended for her to have moments where her emotional cracks show. Her decision to visit her former lover, Eichi, is one such action that reveals this complexity.
Could you talk about the creation of her character Kyoko and how you worked with Kyoka to bring her to the screen?
I expressed my ideal image of Kyoko’s character as a cool woman in contrast to Eichi’s playful character. In reality, Mizukami loves to talk, so she struggled to play Kyoko in the film.
Just to circle back to Kyoko’s look, the characters have costumes that were all perfect. Fujie-san has a coolness to him already but his jackets punch it up to the next level while Minakami-san looks chic. How did you come up with the perfect dress code for each?
During the meeting with the stylist, we imagined Fujie’s character based on rock ‘n’ rollers and 1970s American rock musicians. When it came to the three main actresses, we first established each of their personal colours as a starting point for their costumes. For Kyoko, while black was a dominant colour to convey chicness, I also incorporated blue as a key element.
Keeping things related to looks (the film has pristine production values, by the way), how did you come about finding the locations, particularly the rock formation by the sea?
As we researched the famous spots on the Miura Peninsula, we naturally came across the “Umanosedomon”, which is visually striking and leaves a lasting impression. However, reaching there required about a 15-minute walk from the midpoint, making early morning shoots quite challenging.
Okay, I may be off with my interpretation but one of the themes I took away from the film was to find a way to live by keeping on doing what you love, even if it isn’t perfect. It links back to your earlier work in how characters have to experience failure to move on. I was intrigued by the line “I just married the environment, after all.” Could you explain that?
I think your interpretation is right. I won’t argue strongly, but it’s true that the current state of Japan’s economy isn’t particularly robust. Even with regular employment, there’s no guarantee of lifelong security, leading many to pursue side jobs as well. In this society, I think it is getting harder to commit to something you like, like a hobby. I don’t know if it was better in the old days, but at least I can say that it is getting more serious. In a world like this, I wanted to show some hope through Eichi, who continues to pursue music and art while taking on various odd jobs. I think there was a kind of assertion within me, suggesting a possible lifestyle even in such circumstances.
The line about marrying the environment was added after revising the script, conducting rehearsals with the actors to address any discomfort, and making adjustments accordingly. Ultimately, it was a line that emerged during the shooting process. Haruki Toyama, who couldn’t make living as an artist, marries Reiko, who was a patron to several artists. Reiko was young, beautiful, and wealthy, but it’s questionable whether Haruki truly loved her. Rather, what attracted him to marry Reiko was the potential support she could provide for his creative endeavours, thus becoming a foundation for his artistic pursuits. “Marrying the environment” here implies marrying into a situation where he can continue painting without giving up due to poverty, thus being able to paint without any hindrances.
One of the central locations in the film is the standing bar Kidofuji and there’s a poster of one of your earlier films in the background. I was curious about what the owners of the bar, Kido-san and Fuji-san, thought about the film you shot at their place?
Although they’re a little bit shy, I think they enjoyed it. I still go to their bar every week, and they support me. There are many people who understand and support my work, and I’m grateful for that.
Finally, what do you want viewers to take away from this film?
I think the main characters in this movie are all in a kind of transitional phase, much like myself to a certain extent. In the midst of this process, we waver, speak boldly at times, then waver again. Through such trial and error, I believe people grow and mature into adults. I think there are certain charms of not fully embodying that maturity yet. That’s why I think this movie may leave different impressions on viewers depending on their age.
In Japan, many impressions of the film were that it was light and refreshing, like a pleasant breeze. Many people who watched this movie seemed to focus more on conveying the imagery they felt while watching it rather than specific impressions. It’s possible that the detective, who values imagery, elicited such impressions.
It would be wonderful if watching the movie inspired people to take a little trip along the coast or try something different from their usual routine.
Lonesome Vacation plays at Nippon Connection 2024 on June 02nd, 13:30 at the NAXOS cinema and director Shimoyashiro will be present at the screening.
The festival runs from May 28 to June 02. You can read more about the festival’s programme in an early preview and a fuller overview. Stay tuned for reviews in the coming days!