Takumi Saitoh is every bit the enigmatic stranger archetype, dressed in black from head to toe for the interview, with half his face cast in shadow. But when he takes off his hat, out comes his smile. The light which seemed to emanate from him reached even the darkest corner of the room.
“I like watching movies more than I like sleeping,” the 36-year-old filmmaker and actor confides, speaking with an intensity that belies his youthful looks.
Which is just as well, as he certainly spends more time on movies – be it acting, directing or any other forms of involvement – than sleeping.
Thanks to his being a regular contributor to a magazine and a familiar face on TV programmes revolving around films, he watches at least 20 movies for work each month. On top of this, he manages to squeeze in several other movies for leisure.
“I have no other hobbies I enjoy as much as watching movies. Every once in a while, someone will suggest that I indulge in something else, and I think about it for a moment but often end up ditching the idea,” he laughs.
A scene from blank 13, Takumi Saitoh’s feature-length film directional debut, about an estranged father dying of cancer. Photo: The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur
Saitoh might be quite the authority on setting many hearts aflutter over his romantic acting roles, such as in Hirugao and Boys Love, but it is evident from his diverse resume that he is a man of many talents.
The Tokyo native started modelling at a young age, made his first foray into acting right after high school, and has not looked back since.
He has just wrapped up shooting for Ramen Teh, directed by Singaporean director Eric Khoo, where he stars as a young noodle chef seeking out memories of his late mother in Singapore.
Earlier this year, he picked up a Best Supporting Actor award for his role as a mysterious customer in The Projects, and won the Asian New Talent award for Best Director at the Shanghai International Film Festival for blank 13.
Saitoh was recently in Kuala Lumpur to present blank 13 at the Japanese Film Festival, his feature-length directorial debut, ahead of its scheduled release in Japan in February next year.
“Coming to Malaysia to present my film is a dream come true for me. I would like to visit film festivals in different countries and share my movies with people around the world. I hope this appearance in Malaysia is the first of many to come,” he shares.
Based on a true story of broadcast writer Koji Hashimoto, blank 13 delves into the coming to terms with the passing of a family member. At first glance, an intriguing point seems to be the fact that there is no love lost between this person in question and his family, as he is an absent father whose enthusiasm for gambling has saddled the family with debt. But unexpected developments soon unfold, making this movie one with a whole lot of heart despite – or perhaps because of – flawed characters and questionable judgement calls.
Takumi Saitoh (right) plays a mysterious figure who is in need of herbal medicine from an elderly couple in The Projects. Photo: The Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur
The story behind this film is clearly one that resonates deeply with Saitoh.
“Whenever Koji talks about his childhood memory, I can’t help but note that he laughs while telling it even though it is a very sad and difficult story.
“I have a good relationship with my parents, but after listening to his story, I feel like it is also my story in a way and I really wanted to tell it,” he says.
Moving outside the box
Saitoh has worked on other directorial projects, but none as big as blank 13. However, this didn’t stop him from embracing the unconventional, an approach inspired in part by filmmakers like Denis Villeneuve, Nicolas Winding Refn and Xavier Dolan, just to name a few.
“They made me realise that there are no set rules in making movies. I believe that it is not just the storytelling that is important, but also the emotions the movie evokes in the viewer,” he says.
Valiantly colouring outside the lines, Saitoh relates that when shooting the funeral scene in the second half of blank 13, he told the actors to set aside the script and put it out of their minds.
“Many reacted in disbelief, asking me if I really meant it. But I have great faith in my actors and in myself, and I think this was a risk that paid off. Getting them to internalise the process reflects the unscripted nature of funerals, it makes it more real, more raw,” he observes.
Japanese filmmaker Takumi Saitoh believes that movies have the ability to forge connections between people. Photo: The Star/Sam Tham
Of course, this decision came with surprises, like how an actor spontaneously broke into song, and ended up having to do it another two times for the camera.
“We shot that scene thrice, and he sang different songs each time.
“I was amused, it made me smile even though we were shooting a serious scene where my character was supposed to be paying his last respects to his late father,” he says, making a reference to his role as the eldest son in blank 13.
Saitoh did not go to film school, but instead threw himself into the world of acting in his late teens, a decision influenced by his father’s opinion that he was “not the type of person to sit behind a desk”.
“He thought I would thrive best in an environment where I learn from hands-on experiences, so I became a model, then an actor, and now I can add film director to my resume,” he says.
So was his father’s hunch right, all these years ago?
“Well, he watched blank 13 and said he really likes it,” he offers with a smile, by way of explanation.
Even for a celebrated filmmaker like Saitoh, perhaps the highest praise of all is when it comes from someone who matters.
