Originally written in Japanese.

Selected for the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival Competition Section
She Taught Me Serendipity
Official Interview with Director Ohku Akiko

Konishi Toru (Hagiwara Riku) is a shy second-year university student who carries an umbrella even on sunny days. One day, he’s captivated by Sakurada Hana (Kawai Yuumi), a classmate with a distinctive bun hairstyle, and finds himself repeatedly crossing paths with her by chance…

This film, interweaving the joy of connection with the sorrow of losing someone close, marks Director Ohku Akiko’s return to screenwriting after her award-winning films Tremble All You Want (30th TIFF Audience Award) and Hold Me Back (33rd TIFF Tokyo Premiere 2020 Audience Award). Based on Fukutoku Shusuke’s 2020 novel about youthful romance, the adaptation reflects a world changed by the pandemic and brings to light solidarity with the marginalized as a new type of film filled with sincerity.

At TIFF’s press conference, Director Ohku appeared in a striking light green blouse—a choice that, in retrospect, seemed almost a statement of defiance against the conflicts that continue to unsettle our world. What a pity that no one realized it at the time of the interview.

—This is your second time being selected for the competition since Tremble All You Want. How are you feeling?

Director Ohku: I’m grateful that people continue to show interest in my work. It is an honor to be showcased alongside such incredible directors.

—She Taught Me Serendipity shares similar themes with your recent NHK series MY FAMILY (2023, 10 episodes), which just finished airing.

Director Ohku: Both She Taught Me Serendipity and MY FAMILY explore the theme of life, and I felt both pain and healing alongside the characters as I worked on them. With this film, centered on three young protagonists, I poured my hopes for today’s youth into it, perhaps selfishly reflecting my current thoughts through their stories.

—Could you elaborate on that?

Director Ohku: The original novel made me reflect on the weight of life, and I realized this couldn’t just be entertainment. I felt I couldn’t create this film without first confronting my own relationship with life. As I wrote the screenplay and examined myself in the process, I found it impossible to ignore the anger I feel in response to everyday life and current world events. That’s why I chose to include scenes of marching protesters.

—You also subtly convey a sense of personal engagement with gender inequality through this film.

Director Ohku: During location scouting at Kansai University, I visited a centennial exhibition and learned about Kitamura Kaneko, the university’s first female student and a journalist who passed away at a young age (1903–31). I was deeply struck hearing her recorded voice saying, “It’s okay to be angry, to be indignant” from a 1927 SP recording of her reading from her book Strange Chastity (literal translation). Her words, over a century later, ignited my anger about the persistent gender gap in society. I wanted to channel my solidarity with her by having one of the main characters express it.

—What led you to incorporate these elements into the film?

Director Ohku: It’s difficult to turn a blind eye to the division and conflict we’re living through in the post-pandemic world. I hope that young people attending university today will feel some anger toward the realities of their lives and the world around them. That hope is embedded in the film. These elements don’t appear in the original novel, so I refer to them as my ‘indulgences’, but they don’t stray from the story’s world—in fact, they were added to examine its world even more deeply.

—With these details, the film goes beyond a typical coming-of-age story, offering a genuine portrayal of living in the present.

Director Ohku: As a filmmaker, I’ve been passionately driven throughout my career. Now, as I get older, I find joy in crafting each film and think about wanting these works to last. I want them to reflect my living present time more than ever.
With that intention, this film places importance on realism. We filmed at Kansai University in Osaka, as in the novel, and even the food shown on screen is what you’d find at convenience stores, unlike the usual movie props. For the soundtrack, aside from one character who performs as a band member, we used only the music that the characters would realistically listen to in their daily lives, with no additional background score. That’s how we strived to capture authenticity.

—You also introduced the idea of “serendipity” as a central theme, which adds a unique emphasis to the relationship between the two protagonists.

Director Ohku: Before I began writing the script, I met with Fukutoku Shusuke, the author of the original novel. I asked why the two protagonists, though in the same year at the same university, had never crossed paths. He casually replied, “It’s just one of those odd coincidences,” and I thought, “That’s serendipity, isn’t it?” (laughs). That word came to me immediately, and I wondered if I could approach their romance in a style similar to Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy.

—How do you typically bring out performances from your actors?

Director Ohku: On set, I first let the actors interpret the role, observing their movements and delivery, and then we discuss it. I give them quite a bit of freedom.

—Hagiwara Riku, playing Konishi Toru, delivers an emotional performance in the film’s climax.

Director Ohku: Riku Hagiwara is an experienced actor thanks to his background as a child actor, but for the climactic scene, he needed to tap into a new depth of expression. I told him, “This time, forget about the character. Just be yourself, Riku.” And he nailed it in one take. His performance fit perfectly what I had imagined.

—This is also your second collaboration with Kawai Yuumi after MY FAMILY.

Director Ohku: I’m truly grateful to Yuumi, and I hope we’ll work together in the future as well. It feels presumptuous to say she’s grown, but she’s definitely taken her abilities to the next level since the time we filmed the series last year. Her acting range has broadened, and she’s meticulous down to the millimeter—she’s amazing.

—Ito Aoi’s performance as Sacchan also captures raw emotion.

Director Ohku: Being close in age to her character, she confessed, “I can’t help but cry during this long monologue.” I encouraged her to hold back as much as possible, and she did a remarkable job. All three actors have lengthy lines, but Ito’s scene was particularly challenging, filmed in drizzling rain in the middle of the city. To lessen her burden, we kept cuts to a minimum and used two cameras to capture her and Riku almost simultaneously.

—I can’t go into detail to avoid spoilers, but one of the zoom shots was particularly moving. It’s rare to see films today attempting intricate, meticulously crafted shots that also convey the filmmaker’s instinctual, unfiltered impulse. It brought back the magic of cinema for me.

Director Ohku: Thank you. I love capturing spontaneous moments on set, and for that scene, we shot two takes. Watching the zoomed-in take, I was floored—it was overwhelmingly better. The acting was spot-on, and even we on set felt this inexplicable force driving us forward, something the entire crew sensed.

—There are moments that evoke film techniques reminiscent of the celluloid era, perhaps emphasizing the theme of “serendipity.”

Director Ohku: Yes. For this project, I collaborated closely with cinematographer Nakamura Natsuyo to experiment with various techniques.

—There’s also a classic comedic element with the amusing bedhead scene. Was that intentional?

Director Ohku: It’s actually a parody of There’s Something About Mary (1998) (laughs).

—You’ve also included a homage to D. W. Griffith, the “father of film.”

Director Ohku: Yes, it’s something I’d always wanted to try.

—There’s a style reminiscent of Yamanaka Sadao, where dialogue and visuals are in stark contrast. Was this intentional, especially with Sacchan being set in Kyoto at Doshisha University?

Director Ohku: That contrast wasn’t intentional, but as a Japanese director, I felt a certain tension when filming in Kyoto for the first time. When our production team proposed shooting the snow scene near the five-story pagoda at Toji Temple, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement, as Ozu’s films came to mind—almost embarrassingly so.

—That pagoda has often appeared as a symbol of Kyoto in Ozu’s films, hasn’t it? Like in Equinox Flower (1958) and The End of Summer (1961). Even the opening shot of The Munekata Sisters (1950) shows the pagoda in the distance.

Director Ohku: I haven’t mentioned this to anyone, but filming in Kyoto brought back memories of classic Japanese cinema, and I felt deeply moved by it (laughs).

Interview held on September 25, 2024, at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya.

37th TIFF Competition Section
She Taught Me Serendipity

Director/Screenplay: Ohku Akiko
Original Novel: Fukutoku Shusuke
Cast: Hagiwara Riku, Kawai Yuumi, Ito Aoi, Kurosaki Kodai