On Wednesday, director Takeshi Kitano held a press conference for his latest film, Achilles to Kame (named after one of Zeno's paradoxes). The movie rounds out his self-reflective "trilogy" that began with Takeshis' in 2005 and continued with Kantoku Banzai! last year.
Achilles to Kame translated as Achilles and the Tortoise follows the life of a painter named Machisu (Kitano) who continues pursuing his dream as an artist despite his lack of success. Kanako Higuchi plays his wife, while Yurei Yanagi and Kumiko Aso play the same couple in their younger years.
Kitano, who also wrote the screenplay admited that his was inspired by what he described as his own "idiotic paintings that had piled up." He also stated "(The message of the film) is that even people without talent should live for all they're worth, facing reality -- it's a story about the harshness of the artistic life." The film is a story depicting the "cruelty" of being an artist. He commented that he feels the same way with his own films, continuing to make movies without regard to whether the movie is successful. Kitano also criticized the lack of originality in the current Japanese film industry.
Achilles and the Tortoise is set to hit Japanese theaters this fall with the director hoping to world premiere his latest opus at the Venice Film Festival. It is said that about 70 of Kitano's own art pieces will appear on screen. Filming started on February 10 and is due to finish in the middle of this month. Theatrical release has been scheduled for this fall, but Kitano plans to first take the movie to the Venice Film Festival, which runs from August 27 to September 6.
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