Filmmaker Tackles Inner Worlds on Screen

Director Yukiko Sode describes adapting Mieko Kawakami's novel "All the Lovers in the Night" as a process of creative exploration and enjoyment, rather than pressure. Her primary challenge was externalizing the protagonist's introspective first-person narrative for the screen.

The film has premiered in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. This selection is particularly meaningful as Japan is the Marché du Film's Country of Honor this year. Sode expressed her honor and anticipation for testing the film's ability to resonate across different cultures.

"All the Lovers in the Night" stars Yukino Kishii as Fuyuko and Tadanobu Asano as Mitsutsuka. Sode sought actors who could convey a sense of being on the margins of society, a task she felt Kishii and Asano accomplished beautifully.

Sode intentionally structured the film's pacing to reflect Fuyuko's lived experience, allowing for slow stretches and subtle transformations. She views the narrative less as a romance between Fuyuko and Mitsutsuka, and more as a portrait of a woman's evolving everyday life after falling in love.

Cinematography, lighting, production design, and costumes were crucial in building Fuyuko's interiority. Sode emphasized that adapting any work involves inherent tension, balancing respect for the original with the screenwriter's evolving vision.

The film explores the intersection of romantic feelings with broader human desires, such as intimacy and recognition. Sode believes the actors' performances ultimately cemented the film's romantic framework, making the emotions believable.

Sode's thematic focus lies in the tension between social norms and individual identity. She contrasts her film's approach to contemporary Japanese cinema, which often favors plot-driven social issue narratives, by exploring a more personal, universal quest for connection amidst information saturation.