It has been revealed that "On the Summer Sand" by Masataka Matsuda, winner of the Yomiuri Literature Prize for Drama and Scenario, will be adapted into a film. Joe Odagiri, who is a big fan of the work, will star in the film and also serve as co-producer, with a star-studded cast including Akari Takaishi, Takako Matsu, and Hikari Mitsushima.
The original play was adapted for the stage by Hirata Oriza in 1998 and has been performed on stage many times since then, with a new version starring Kei Tanaka and directed by Kuriyama Tamiya in 2022. Tamada Shinya, the director and screenwriter of this work, also has a deep attachment to the work, which was performed in 2022 by his own theater company, Tamada Kikaku.
Set in Nagasaki, where Matsuda was born and raised, the story follows the protagonist Osamu, played by Odagiri, whose life has stopped due to the sense of loss he feels after losing his son and whose wife has abandoned him; his 17-year-old daughter Yuko (Takaishi), left behind by his younger sister; and his wife Keiko (Matsu), who harbors "quiet anger" towards her husband Osamu, as they each come to terms with their own pain.
Mitsushima will play Asako, the free-spirited younger sister who leaves the orphaned Yuko in her brother Osamu's care and rushes off to the man. Takahashi Fumiya will play Tateyama, a senior colleague at Yuko's part-time job who has feelings for Yuko, Moriyama Naotaro will play Jinno, a colleague at the shipyard where Osamu worked, and Mitsuishi Ken will play Mochida, a colleague at the shipyard.
Odagiri commented, "The moment I read the script, I knew this would be a great film! So I immediately volunteered to be a producer. I did this because I wanted to be of help in many ways, not just as an actor. Matsu-san, Mitsushima-san, and other reliable cast members and the best staff all resonated with me, and we were able to create an unparalleled arena in Nagasaki in the middle of summer. While remaining solely in the role of assistant to Director Tamada, I think I was able to pour my experience into the film as a kind of secret ingredient. I believe this is a film that will make people feel "something" that is rare in Japanese films these days."
The film "On the Summer Sands" will be released nationwide on July 4th.
