- And having already seen Happy Hour (2015) and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy (2021), Ryusuke Hamaguchi is easily up on my list as one of my favourite living directors.
- I really want to track down his other works, especially the documentaries where he interviews survivors of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
- In an interview on the Criterion Channel, he talks about how he always learns more about the movies he makes once he’s done making them. He says:
I’m often told this is a story about loss and renewal, about starting over. If I’ve learned anything from making it, it’s that if you want to live a good life—Everyone wants someone to love or something to love. Life is richer when you have someone or something to love. But because that person or thing is outside yourself, you must inevitably part with it. That person or thing that brought you such deep happiness will cause you the deepest suffering when you lose it. In both cases it’s one and the same thing: You’re happy when you have it but miserable when you lose it. This is one of life’s paradoxes. The very thing that allows you to lead a good life will sooner or later lead to the most terrible suffering. And I realized that will happen to me one day too. Sooner or later… it will happen to everyone.
Damn.
Also:
- What a great looking car. I mean, look at this friend:

Perfect.

