Kiyoshi Kurosawa Discusses His French Remake of ‘Serpent’s Path’
At the recent Busan International Film Festival, renowned Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, honored as this year’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year, shared insights into his latest projects during a press event. Kurosawa, who turns 69 this year, has two films featured at the festival: “Cloud,” which stars Masaki Suda as a factory worker involved in a questionable online venture, and “Serpent’s Path 2024,” a French-language reinterpretation of his 1998 Japanese film.
Kurosawa was invited by a French producer to remake one of his earlier works, and his choice fell on “Serpent’s Path.” He articulated that the original screenplay by Hiroshi Takahashi was so distinctive that he felt it heavily influenced his direction, leading him to wish to reimagine it in his own voice. In the Japanese version, the plot follows a man who recruits a friend to help him seek vengeance on his daughter’s killer. The French remake, however, shifts from the traditional yakuza narrative to a story involving a cult.
“My aim was to veer away from the typical yakuza depiction, characterized by their specific costumes and mannerisms,” Kurosawa noted. The French film features a cast that includes Mathieu Amalric, Aoki Munetaka, and Damien Bonnard.
Regarding “Cloud,” Kurosawa expressed his intent to craft a realistic genre film, a goal complicated by financing challenges during the pandemic. His breakthrough came when Suda, celebrated for roles in “Wilderness: Part One” and “We Made A Beautiful Bouquet,” was cast. “Many Japanese genre films lack authenticity, often featuring clichéd villains like serial killers or yakuza. I aimed to portray a character you might encounter in real life,” he explained. Suda was ideal for this role, embodying both an ordinary and slightly morally ambiguous persona.
Kurosawa’s distinguished body of work includes titles like “Tokyo Sonata,” which earned the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes, “Journey to the Shore,” awarded Best Director in Un Certain Regard, and “Wife of a Spy,” which secured the Silver Lion for Best Director at the Venice Film Festival. He’s been part of the influential group known as the “Four Ks” alongside other renowned directors like Hirokazu Kore-eda, Takeshi Kitano, and Naomi Kawase, who have prominently shaped the international film landscape.
In recent years, a new generation of Japanese filmmakers has emerged on the global stage. Kurosawa expressed admiration for directors Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada, though he humorously questioned whether they could still be classified as “young.” He observed that the recent rise in talented young directors is partly fueled by advances in digital filmmaking, making it more accessible.
“While Japan has an abundance of gifted young filmmakers, a notable gap exists in the genre segment, especially compared to Korea, which boasts a vibrant genre film scene. It’d be intriguing to see how creators like Hamaguchi and Fukada would approach genre filmmaking,” Kurosawa remarked.
Kurosawa was recognized with the Busan Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the festival’s opening ceremony, which runs until October 10, accompanied by the Asian Contents and Film Market from October 5-8.