Wataru Ichinose stars in "April's Margin" (released June 26th), the latest film by director Keisuke Yoshida, known for films such as "The Blank Space" (2021) and "Missing" (2024). He plays the protagonist who, burdened by his past as a former gang member and ex-convict, confronts children who are on the verge of going astray. Director Yoshida asked Ichinose to "react with a reactive style." "It was mentally draining," Ichinose reveals, and we asked him to reflect on the filming.
◇Things I talked about with director Keisuke Yoshida during filming
"The Margins of April" is based on the delinquent boys that director Yoshida himself encountered during his formative years, and the community surrounding them. It depicts the raw struggles of boys who cannot understand the pain of others or common sense, and the adults who confront these children wholeheartedly while still standing by them.
The protagonist, Kengo Nishi, played by Ichinose, is a former gang member and ex-convict. He now runs "Mirai no Sato," a boarding school for rehabilitation in a provincial city overlooking the sea, where he works with delinquent youth, hikikomori (socially withdrawn individuals), and children with problems at home. One day, he is approached by middle school teacher Fuyuko Kusano (Kaho) for advice about a student she can't handle. One of these students is Kaito Sawa (Hayato Uesaka), who cannot understand the pain of others and repeatedly engages in violence and crime. When Kaito is placed in "Mirai no Sato," he initially rebels and acts violently, but gradually begins to show signs of change as he lives with the other children...
During filming, Ichinose revealed that she and director Yoshida had a conversation along the lines of, "We're making an amazing film right now." Behind that, however, she said, there was a surprising amount of emotional turmoil.
"When I first read the script, I didn't fully understand it, but as I acted, I realized that Nishi's love for the children was paramount, and even with his past, he truly gives unconditional love now, thinking only of the children. However, even so, his past sins cannot be forgiven, and there's a certain pain in that... It was an emotionally draining experience, so I felt like, 'This is an incredible film.'"
What Ichinose had etched into her heart as Nishi during filming was "love."
"For me as Nishi, the most important thing was the children of 'Mirai no Sato,' and my love for them. Basically, that's all I thought about, so I didn't really care about myself. I made an effort not to think about anything else on set, so I hardly talked to anyone. That's why I have very few stories to share from this project (laughs)."
◇Just relax and act in a way that simply accepts the children.
When it comes to preparing for a role, Ichinose is surprisingly prone to worrying, believing that "I want to take as much time as possible to prepare" and "the longer the preparation, the better." In this work, however, she has taken on the challenge of "reactive acting."
"The director also told me, 'This time, I want Ichinose-san to play the 'receiving' role.' Up until now, I've usually been the one initiating things, and the other person was the one receiving, but this time I was the one receiving. So, I tried to relax as much as possible and focus on acting as if I was simply receiving the children."
As a result, I learned that "it's easier emotionally to take the initiative."
"That's why I feel like it consumed a lot of mental energy."
In the latter half of the film, Kaito escapes from the facility, and Nishi's past comes to light, causing the operation of "Mirai no Sato" to become unstable. The film's highlights will be what becomes of the children's future and what kind of ending awaits them.
"I think it's up to the viewers to decide what the right answer was. Some might say, 'Poor Nishi,' while others might say, 'No, he did some really bad things in the past. There's no way he can be forgiven for that.' If there's one thing that makes me feel glad that this movie was made, it's if there are people who want to change, and if I can help them in that process. I hope that I can turn even just one gear in that process."
*The character "吉" in director Keisuke Yoshida's name is written with the character "土" (tsuchiyoshi).
