It was revealed on July 8 that actor Yu Aoi will appear in director Yoji Yamada's 91st film, "TOKYO Taxi" (released November 21). This will be Aoi's sixth time working with Yamada since "My Wife is Like a Rose III" (2018).
This film, in which Chieko Baisho and Takuya Kimura co-star in a live-action film for the first time, is based on the French film "Paris Taxi" (2022). Director Yamada and Yuzo Asahara are in charge of the script. Director Yamada, who has continued to portray people living in Japan in the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras, weaves the lives of taxi driver Usami Koji, played by Kimura, and passenger Takano Sumire, played by Baisho, in the ever-changing metropolis of Tokyo.
Aoi plays Sumire in her younger days. One day, 85-year-old Sumire (Baisho) gets into a taxi driven by Usami (Kimura) to go from Shibamata, Tokyo to a nursing home in Hayama, Kanagawa. On the way to the end of her life, she begins to open up to Usami and talk about her brutal past. Aoi embodies Sumire's "unknown past."
In addition to Aoi, six other cast members have been announced. Takaya Sakoda will play Ogawa Takeshi, Sumire's husband who casts a sinister shadow over her life, and Yuka will play Usami Kaoru, the wife of Kimura's character Koji.
Other cast members include Nakajima Runa, who is currently appearing as a prostitute in the NHK Taiga drama "UNBOUND," as Koji's daughter, Usami Nana, Misuzu Kanno as Takano Nobuko, Sumire's mother when she was young and raising her daughter alone, Lee Jun-young, making his first appearance in a Japanese film, will play Kim Young-gi, Sumire's first love, and Sasano Takashi will play Abe Seiichiro, a judicial scrivener who supports Sumire in her end-of-life preparations in the present day.
The seven people's comments are as follows:
◇Comment from Yu Aoi
The Yamada set was a dream-like place, full of kindness and tension, and I'm really sad that filming has ended. The role of Sumire in her younger days involved a lot of heavy scenes, but thanks to Sakoda-san always being in front of me, I was able to get through them happily.
This time, I appeared in many flashback scenes, but I think I was able to approach the filming with a sense of balance between clarity and not becoming too symbolic. It was my first time meeting Baisho-san since we worked together in our teens, and I was very happy that she welcomed me warmly like family.
This is a heartwarming film that makes you think deeply about human loneliness, warmth, and life. Everyone, please look forward to the release.
◇Comment from Takaya Sakoda
This was my third time working with Yamada, and every moment of working with Director Yamada, who inspired me to become an actor, was special. I had to stay focused all the time, which was tough, but it was also a fulfilling experience, so I'm relieved now that we were able to finish filming safely.
In playing the role of Takeshi Ogawa, I myself am a good person at heart (laughs), so I had a hard time figuring out how to express his dark side, or rather, his evil side. This was my first time acting with Aoi-san, but I felt that she was a reliable partner both in terms of acting and in terms of participating in the Yamada group, and I really felt reassured by her role as Sumire.
The movie "TOKYO Taxi" is one that we want you to enjoy on the big screen, so please come to the theater to see it.
◇Comment from Yuka
The Yamada team was nervous the whole time, but we were able to perform with a good level of tension and are relieved to have finished safely. Director Yamada carefully directed us, even down to our hand movements and choice of words.
This time, I played the role of Kaoru, the wife of Koji, played by Kimura-san. There were many scenes in the film where I was angry with Koji, but I tried to act with the underlying feelings of love for my daughter and the love they have shared for many years since their school days. This is a really wonderful movie, so I hope many people will see it.
◇Comment from Runa Nakajima
I was nervous and anxious before filming, but I am honored and happy to have received guidance from Director Yamada. There was a good sense of tension on set with Yamada, and I learned a lot, but I was also made painfully aware of my own challenges.
I played Koji and Kaoru's daughter Nana, and tried to use a bright tone of voice to express her free-spiritedness, seriousness about music, and love for her father. During the filming period, Kimura-san and Yuka-san treated me warmly, like a real family member, and I am grateful to them. The movie "TOKYO Taxi" is a wonderful work that beautifully depicts Sumire's life. Please look forward to it.
◇Comment from Misuzu Kanno
The moment I entered the studio, I felt like I was in a world that existed back when movies were called "Shashin." It was full of passion, and even the smallest details of the set had soul. This was "Yamada-gumi." It felt like a dream to be here.
This was my first time acting as a mother and daughter with Yu (Aoi Yu), who is like family to me. I was nervous and embarrassed, but she supported me with her usual kindness and humor, and I felt the pride of a real "movie actor" who had been an actor on this set, and it was dazzling.
The presence of my beloved Sakoda-san was also a big factor. I want people to embrace the past of this town where they live now and the lives that the survivors have kept together through this work. And I want them to feel that they never want this town to become a battlefield again. It may be a miracle that I'm alive.
◇ Comment from Lee Junyoung
Although the filming period was short, participating in my first Japanese film was a fun experience filled with a mixture of emotions. I am especially grateful to Director Yamada for his emotional direction, which made it easier for me to play the role.
When I was approached about the role of Eiki Kinjo, I felt that the key was to express the feelings of the people at that time. In fact, I was worried about the dance scene while I was acting, but thanks to Aoi-san and the choreographers, I was able to dance to the end.
I co-starred with Baisho-san and Aoi-san for the first time, and they are actresses with beautiful eyes, so I was able to concentrate on my role right away. I will do my best to film with them again. This work is one in which you can really feel the warmth of humanity, so I hope that the viewers will enjoy it with the same feelings.
◇Comment from Takashi Sasano
I was very excited to be working with Yamada-san, Baisho-san, and Kimura-san again after a long time. I have a special attachment to these three, and now that filming has ended, I feel a strange mixture of relief and loneliness.
Director Yamada has been mentoring me as enthusiastically as ever, even at his advanced age, and we did many retakes and rehearsals, working up a sweat. It was a warm day, like coming home to my hometown, and I really enjoyed every day. I'm sure it's turned out to be a heartwarming, wonderful film, so I hope everyone looks forward to it.
