For
tomorrow, take only what you cherish.
Blessed
with several large rivers, interconnected streams and springs, Japan's ancient
capital, Kyoto, anoints the land with a bountiful source of water. In this tranquil
setting, three women join the flow of a small community with the subtle presence
of a spring breeze. Setsuko , the proprietor of a whiskey-only bar; Takako, the
owner of a coffee shop along the waterway; Hatsumi, a maker of tofu so delicious
it seems to spring forth from the clear water. Under their subtle influence, other
townspeople gradually begin their own streams too: Yamanoha, a local worker for
a furniture workshop; Otome, the owner of a neighborhood public bath; Jin, a young
man who assists him at the bath; Makoto, a wayfarer about the town. Among their
daily lives, there is Poplar, a small child with a perpetually friendly smile.
A story without story-telling, focused on the everyday lives of people
striving to see themselves clearly;
A story that may be unfolding alongside
the everyday world of real people.
A story that directly speaks to all people,
with its authentic characters.
Where are we, now? Who are we with? Why
do we stay? Where will we go?
What is essential now?
Such thoughts and
feelings flow from the rivers in Kyoto...
Earlier films from the same production
team, Kamome Diner, Megane, and POOL, each moved to illuminate simple relationships
with people and places. In this fourth collaboration, Mother Water, a new place
is visited: Kyoto, an evolving town that retains its ancient sense of immutable
beauty. From Helsinki, to Yoron Island to Chiang Mai, the generous potential of
such relationships with people and places were explored and experienced. With
this same approach, the team searched for a place to embody the origins of our
feelings; Kyoto became the inevitable choice.
A Sense of Kyoto
Mother Water details Kyoto: narrow streets, fringed with small shops; the enviable
ambles of cats and dogs; cheerful birds, flitting with playful ease across the
water. The movie invites all to enjoy a quiet stroll or the simple pleasures of
living in this place. People and their surroundings become the focus, without
relying on typical sightseeing spots in this famous city. Just as Kamome Diner
and Megane avoided stereotyped images, so Mother Water details an authentic Kyoto,
without showing any cultural icons. In Japan, Kyoto carries a reputation of an
insular community, yet this town is an evolving town whose separate elements must
continually and aggressively transform in order to uphold its rich traditions.
Observing the daily lives of the people in Kyoto revealed this dualistic unfolding,
and a portrayal of Kyoto thus became a portrayal of humanity itself.
Flow
of Water
Mother Water celebrates the continued existence of small, independently
run shops in Kyoto. From Setsuko's bar, Takako's coffee shop, Hatsumi's tofu shop
and Otome's public bath to a vegetable stand where Makoto frequents on foot as
well as the furniture craft center where Yamanoha works, actual shops, currently
in business, were used for the film. Each shop conjured its own atmosphere, wafted
from the actual people living and working there. Reacting to these emanations,
actors responded, and a new scent emerged. Mother Water's breeze thus began to
blow: Makoto's living room, where she enjoyed her solitary meals; Takako's deck,
where the joy of blue sky brightened her view and colored the street and its pedestrians.
Between shots, actors enjoyed long walks, absorbing the pace of the water, flowing
along with the people of the town. Delicious
Meals
The film also revels in the essential
pleasure of a beautiful meal. A gracious breakfast to match Makoto's style; dinner
that she enjoys with a small bottle of beer-- tempura of seasonal vegetables surrounded
by enticing, small dishes; juicy beef cutlet sandwiches Setsuko and Yamanoha relish
together; egg sandwiches Makoto and Hatsumi share with Poplar at a bench in a
nearby park; a filling lunch of oyakodon, a bowl of rice topped with chicken and
eggs, enjoyed by Otome and Jin at the public bath; steaming gratin, meticulously
prepared by Takako. Appealing meals occur throughout the film, presented by Nami
Iijima, a skillful food stylist and collaborator since Kamome Diner.
Chairs
Chairs or other places of rest appear throughout the film as a metaphor
for life. Benches placed in welcome, led by Makoto's request, grace the front
of Hatsumi's tofu shop; long-legged stools surround Setsuko's bar; comfortable
old chairs face the street, at Takako's coffee shop; an enigmatic chair rests
at the riverside that lulls casual sitters to a peaceful sleep. The bench at the
tofu shop grows from one to two, and offers a chance for hospitality, to share
with a stranger. From the small world of one place in time, a new relationship
can spread out over distance and space. Like a person selects shoes to take the
first step of a journey, so we must select the chair to perfectly match our surroundings.
Selecting a chair can become a way of finding a sense of oneself.
Children
Humanity's potential can be glimpsed in a child's tottering steps. Sharing
the actual first steps of the child portraying Poplar during production, the staff
and crew ended the filming just as they imagined, experiencing together this hopeful
milestone in existence. Adjusting to Poplar's pace became natural, and refracted
onto the frames and feelings of the film. In viewing the perspective of a child
learning to walk, our own independent and individual paths through life became
clear.
MATSUMOTO Kana
Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1981. Graduated
from Tama University, Faculty of Art and Design. Direction experience includes
a variety of commercial endeavors, clay animation for the making of Megane (2007),
and for the making of Pool (2009). Mother Water is her feature film directorial
debut.
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