[Exclusive·Limelight] "I Wanted to Sound the Alarm to Adults Through the Younger Generation"

Interview with Director Shinj? Katayama of the Film 'Siljong'
Inspired by a Real Incident... Penetrating the Core of Japanese Society through the Thriller Genre
Participated as Assistant Director for Bong Joon-ho's 'Mother' "Influenced by 'Genreless' Direction"

Director Shinj? Katayama is a rising star leading the next generation of Japanese cinema. He proved this with the film Missing. The thriller fully conveys its suspense while piercing through the core of Japanese society. Satoshi (Jiro Sato), who lost his wife to ALS and is mentally distraught, is tenderly cared for by his daughter Kaede (Aoi Ito). One day, Satoshi claims to have witnessed a serial killer and then disappears. Kaede searches for him and encounters a suspicious namesake at her father's workplace. She realizes he is Terumi Yamauchi (Hiroya Shimizu), the serial killer featured on a wanted poster, and begins a desperate pursuit.

From the middle of the film, Director Katayama reconstructs the earlier narrative, highlighting the story’s underlying layers and repositioning its context. This technique, common in genre films, is not merely focused on plot twists. It also raises awareness of various social issues such as economic crises, suicide, and euthanasia. A representative scene is when Yamauchi urges Satoshi, who is anguished after euthanizing his wife, to commit another crime together.

"This is not murder, it’s salvation. A merciful death." "Stop talking nonsense." "Just find people through the web." "I don’t want to hear it." "It’s not free." "This is the money I gave you." "At least this much is necessary. I mean money. Reopen the ping-pong hall."

Haruki Murakami wrote in his novel Sputnik Sweetheart that "Behind the things we think we know, there is almost an equal amount of what we do not know." The world unfolded in Missing is just like that. Neon signs ripple even at night in bustling downtown areas. In dead-end alleys gather the saddest and loneliest people in Japan, who have turned their backs on the icy reality for various reasons.

Perhaps these are the faces of despair and anxiety that may soon reach us. Faith becomes increasingly hollow, and truth grows shabby. In an exclusive written interview with Asia Economy, Director Katayama said, "I wanted to sound an alarm to adults through the younger generation." Below is a Q&A with Director Katayama.

- Most characters in Missing are mentally ill: a serial killer, a suicide attempter, a perverted sex addict... Even the streets are full of homeless people.

▲ The film was inspired by real incidents in Japan, including murders targeting suicide attempters. I wanted to explore stories across various generations. Satoshi, in his 50s, entered society during the bubble economy and is obsessed with money to the extent of giving it religious significance, unable to return to a normal life. Yamauchi, in his 20s, has spent most of his life in an internet environment and tends to be self-centered during economic downturns. Kaede, a teenager, harbors doubts about the coming era and represents a generation that will sound an alarm to adults.

- There is no scene showing Satoshi’s three-member family together.

▲ I avoided the stereotype of a "pitiful family" by indirectly portraying each relationship. I didn’t want the audience to think, "They must have been happy once." Rather, I wanted to stimulate imagination so that image could expand. Although the film deals with family, that is not all there is to it.

- Desire for money is common. So Missing comes across as a warning that anyone can become a potential murderer.

▲ That’s true; it can happen to anyone. For various reasons, one’s options can suddenly vanish. People might find themselves worrying about basic living expenses. Many struggle to control impulses in such situations. One must let go of excessive attachment. When something is clung to, failure to achieve it leads to deep disappointment. People may make tremendous sacrifices to achieve it at all costs.

- Many people offer help to Kaede as she searches for her father. But the police are bureaucratic, a male student harbors ill intentions, and the homeroom teacher’s mind is elsewhere.

▲ I wouldn’t label them hypocrites. They tried to help Kaede in their own ways. However, support and interaction toward the vulnerable need to be more active. Japan has appropriate welfare systems, but there is a tendency to think that families should solve unfortunate events first. Many people don’t even know such systems exist. Some have strong pride and prefer to take responsibility themselves rather than reach out to others, living on the streets. If welfare systems are not reconsidered for them, I fear more horrific incidents could occur.

- Yamauchi has a habit of biting his nails, and Satoshi bites his ring finger to show trust toward Yamauchi. It seems more than a simple coincidence.

▲ I wanted to show that both are malicious. Yamauchi is a type difficult for ordinary people to understand. Most think it’s unavoidable. On the other hand, Satoshi is someone who became corrupted through misfortune. Since an ordinary person commits murder, the audience’s perception inevitably differs. Which is more malicious is irrelevant. Murder is murder.

- You participated as an assistant director on Bong Joon-ho’s film Mother (2009).

▲ I was greatly influenced, especially by the "genreless" style where laughter seeps through sad scenes. I want to borrow that directing style but develop it into my own originality.

- The twisted maternal love in Mother seems to have shifted to paternal love, making the title Father a fitting alternative.

▲ That’s a powerful and good title I hadn’t thought of. I’ve heard some say Missing blends Korean and Japanese styles. I’m not sure if I was that conscious. I think it’s just the essence imprinted from various films added together.

- The scene where Satoshi and Kaede pass a ping-pong ball reminds me of the badminton scene between Mija (Yun Jung-hee) and Jong-wook (Lee David) in Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry.

▲ Kaede wanted Satoshi to remain her "father." I wanted to show an unadorned exchange through the ball going back and forth over the net as a boundary. The ball disappearing at the end was meant to express loss.

- Suicide is presented as another expression of "wanting to live well."

▲ I think people commit suicide because they want to live. When that is not fulfilled, they try to end it themselves. Causes vary, but I believe there is no suicide with death as the true purpose. Most choose it for economic reasons, but recently many young people have taken their lives because they see no hope for the future. It is truly tragic.

- Overall, Missing seems to be a story about people standing at the boundaries of life and death, ethics and desire, salvation and murder.

▲ I created it with the hope that while depicting situations that could actually happen, they won’t. I use the characters as cautionary examples to appeal, "Please don’t become like this." It should not be dismissed as mere fiction. Similar incidents are happening somewhere even now. I hope viewers keep a sense of urgency, face reality, and remember the film’s message well.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.