Movies - Suzume: Two exceptional previews in Paris in February with director Makoto Shinkai

By Mulder, 07 february 2023

"In Japan, it is customary to hold a jichin-sai, or groundbreaking ceremony, before the construction of a new building or house begins, but we do nothing when we close them." - Makoto Shinkai

Suzume (Suzume no Tojimari) is a 2022 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film produced by CoMix Wave Films and distributed by Toho. It features a high school girl and a mysterious young man who try to prevent a series of disasters across Japan. The film was commissioned in 2020, written and directed by Makoto Shinkai. The film features the voices of Nanoka Hara and Hokuto Matsumura. The characters are drawn by Masayoshi Tanaka, animation direction by Kenichi Tsuchiya, art direction by Takumi Tanji and music by Radwimps and Kazuma Jinnouchi. Suzume had its IMAX premiere in Japan on November 7, 2022 and was released nationwide on November 11. The film grossed 13.4 billion yen ($104 million), becoming the fourth highest grossing film of 2022 in Japan.

Makoto Shinkai conceived the idea for Suzume while traveling in Japan to give lectures on his past works. Shinkai noticed that there were more empty or abandoned areas in Japan due to the country's declining birth rate and aging population, so he thought of writing a story about "mourning deserted places." As a result, the film inevitably turned into a road movie about visiting places. The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami served as an influence for the film's themes. While the comet Tiamat in Your Name and the concept of Weathering with You were ideas influenced by the natural disaster, Shinkai felt he needed to "express the impact he felt through the earthquake and tsunami, instead of continuing to depict it as a metaphor." He was concerned that memories of the disaster would become "fuzzy" over time, and by depicting the earthquake and tsunami in his film or novel, he could also share his memories with teenagers who were not aware of the disaster. Shinkai also cited Kiki's Delivery Service, the novel Kafka on the Shore and Haruki Murakami's short story Kaeru-kun, Tokyo o Sukuu (かえるくん、東京を救う, Super-Frog Saves Tokyo) as influences for the film.

Shinkai and his team planned the project from January to March 2020. They began developing the film's script in April, when the Japanese government declared a state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In an interview with TV Asahi, Shinkai mentioned that the pandemic had a less tangible effect on the film's production. However, he said that "the mood of the time is indelibly etched into the script," adding that the film will have a post-apocalyptic theme. The fact that Sōta turns into a chair refers to the fact that Shinkai felt trapped during the borders of COVID-19. After completing the script in August, storyboards were written from September 2020 to December 2021, while animation production began in April 2021. The film was officially unveiled at a press conference on December 15, 2021. The film's team includes Masayoshi Tanaka as character designer, Kenichi Tsuchiya as animation director and Takumi Tanji as art director. CoMix Wave Films and Story Inc. have been revealed as the producers of the film.  In October 2022, Shinkai announced that production of the film was complete.

Shinkai immediately decided that the film should have a female lead character, since Weathering with You had a male lead, and also felt that a "buddy" character was necessary. He felt that the tension of the film would become "inevitably quieter" if the story focused on the mourning of a location, so he decided that the film would be a "buddy story" between a girl and a chair to remain entertaining. Shinkai first thought of other options for potential partners, such as another girl, one who turns into a monster throughout the story, and "inorganic partners" like a milk carton. The idea of a chair partner came to him when he saw a wooden chair sitting at a deserted bus stop, and found that its "sense of strangeness" was better than any of his previous ideas. Shinkai also lost interest in writing a love story and wanted to depict different relationships, such as Suzume and her aunt.

Nanoka Hara was revealed as the voice of Suzume Iwato on July 5, 2022. Shinkai selected her after an audition in which over 1,700 people participated. Hara has always been a fan of Shinkai's works, and remarked that she could not imagine being the one to share the "unforgettable and overwhelming feeling" she felt when she first saw one of his films in theaters.On September 6, 2022, the role of Sōta Munakata was revealed to Hokuto Matsumura. He described the character as one that "[he] had never seen in any of the director's works." As a result, Matsumura gave a voice for Sōta that he "had never heard before," which involved using a slightly lower tone. Shinkai found her voice "impressive" and stated that she "embodies the character." Suzume and Sōta are the first anime voice roles for Hara and Matsumura. On September 29, Eri Fukatsu, Shota Sometani, Sairi Ito, Kotone Hanase, Kana Hanazawa, and Matsumoto Hakuō II were revealed as joining the voice cast On October 25, Ryūnosuke Kamiki, who portrayed Taki Tachibana in Your Name, was added to the cast as Tomoya Serizawa.

On September 20, 2022, it was announced that the band Radwimps, who had previously collaborated with Shinkai on Your Name and Weathering with You, would compose the music for the film, along with composer Kazuma Jinnouchi. It was also revealed that TikTok singer Toaka provided the vocals for the first theme song, Suzume, which debuted on music streaming services on September 30, 2022. The second theme song, Kanata Haluka, made its online debut on October 28, 2022. The soundtrack was released on November 11, 2022, the day the film was released. Some of its recordings were made at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Suzume had an IMAX preview screening on November 7, 2022, for viewers who were selected by a random draw. The film was released in 420 theaters in Japan on November 11, in regular and IMAX screenings. Midnight screenings were held in 11 theaters in six cities in Japan. The film will have its international premiere in competition at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, to be held from February 16 to 26, 2023. This will be the first time an animated film will participate in the festival since Spirited Away in 2002. In Asia, the film will begin screening on March 2, 2023 in Taiwan and Hong Kong, March 8 in South Korea and April 21 in India. Suzume has also been approved for release in China.

In May 2022, it was announced that Crunchyroll, Sony Pictures and Wild Bunch International have acquired the worldwide distribution rights for the film. Crunchyroll will handle distribution in North America and partner with Sony in territories outside of Asia, while Sony and Wild Bunch will co-distribute in Europe. The companies will begin screening the film on April 12, 2023 in France and Malta; April 13 in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, and New Zealand; and April 14 in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Gibraltar, Ireland, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

As of February 6, 2023, Suzume has earned 13.4 billion yen ($104 million) in Japan. The film debuted at number one at the Japanese box office, earning 1.88 billion yen ($13.49 million) from IMAX previews and its first three days. It surpassed Weathering with You to become the biggest three-day opening for a Shinkai film. In Japan, it is the fourth highest-grossing film of 2022, the 10th highest-grossing animated film of all time and the 23rd highest-grossing film of all time.

Note that two exceptional previews will be held in Paris at the UGC Normandie and Le Grand Rex theaters. You will find below the links for reservations
February 27 : UGC Normandie : https://bit.ly/3HKJWgo
February 28th : Le Grand Rex : https://bit.ly/3jGcOyk

Synopsis: 
In a small, peaceful town in Kyushu, a 17-year-old girl, Suzume, meets a man who says he is traveling to look for a door. Deciding to follow him into the mountains, she discovers a single dilapidated gate sitting in the middle of the ruins, the only vestige that has survived the passage of time. Giving in to an inexplicable impulse, Suzume turns the handle, and other doors open in the four corners of Japan, letting in all the catastrophes they contain. The man is formal: every open door must be closed. Where she has strayed are the stars, dusk and dawn, a celestial vault where all times merge. Guided by doors shrouded in mystery, Suzume sets out on a journey to close them all.

Suzume
Written and directed by Makoto Shinkai
Produced by Kôichirô Itô, Genki Kawamura
Starring Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu, Shota Sometani, Sairi Ito, Kotone Hanase, Kana Hanazawa, Matsumoto Hakuō II
Music by Radwimps, Kazuma Jinnouchi
Production companies : CoMix Wave Films, Story Inc.
Distributed by Toho (Japan), Eurozoom (France)
Release date November 11, 2022 (Japan), April 12 2022 (France)
Running time : 122 minutes