Actress Keiko Kitagawa appeared at a pre-release premium talk event for the film "Mirai" (directed by Takahisa Zeze, opening May 8), starring Yuna Kuroshima, held in Tokyo on April 23.
During the event, there was a Q&A session where Kitagawa answered questions from fans who had come to the venue. When asked, "Has your image of the word 'future' changed because of the original work?", Kitagawa replied, "Since I was little, I've been the type of person who can't imagine the future, or rather, because I was affected by a disaster when I was little, I've always had the feeling that the 'future' is very uncertain." She explained, "I had the idea that it's not something that is naturally connected, but something that can be suddenly taken away or damaged one day. I'm left with a feeling that is more of a vague anxiety."
She continued, "I was worried that having those kinds of feelings wasn't appropriate for my age, and that I should be living with more expectations, so when I read this work, I realized that not everyone can have expectations for the future, and that it's not wrong to have a vague, hazy feeling. This work gave me encouragement."
She added, "The future may not be something that everyone can be optimistic about, but I was on set hoping that this work could be a source of comfort for those who are in places that are out of the spotlight or in difficult circumstances and who cannot have firm hope for the future."
The film is based on a masterpiece mystery novel by Kanae Minato, known for works such as "Confessions" and "Atonement," which was published to commemorate her 10th anniversary as a writer. It depicts the struggles of people who live amidst an unreasonable and cruel reality, including Mai Shinomiya (played by Kuroshima), who grew up in a complicated family environment but fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher, and her student Akiko Saeki (played by Nanami Yamazaki), who also lives in a harsh family environment. Kitagawa plays Akiko's mother, Fumino Saeki.
Kuroshima, director Seze, and Minato also appeared at the event.
