Makoto Shinkai (‘Suzume’ writer/director) on the lingering fear of natural disasters in Japan

Ray Richmond
·5 min read
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Makoto Shinkai  may not be well known in the United States, but in Japan the 50-year-old writer, producer, director, animator, editor, cinematographer and manga artist is an icon. Never has that been more true than over the past year after Shinkai released his latest film as a writer-director, “Suzume,” a Japanese-language anime masterwork that has grossed more than $320 million worldwide since its release a year ago. Visiting Los Angeles to promote the film and speaking through an interpreter in an interview at the SLS Hotel, Shinkai says, “Being able to talk with and interface with creators, directors, filmmakers, it’s almost like they put their life on the line to create and find and pursue that perfect film. There’s definitely some admiration and longing that I have for that type of relationship with cinema. If perhaps someday I can stand on the same pedestal, that would make me really happy.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.

“Suzume” is a coming-of-age fantasy that tells the story of Suzume Iwato, a 17-year-old living on the island of Kyushu in southwestern Japan. She lost her mother more than a decade before and has been raised by a supportive aunt who is also a nurse. Her mother was killed in the Great Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011, a real-life event whose traumatic echoes continue to reverberate through a nation that endures roughly 1,500 quakes annually. The giant quake and tsunami of more than a dozen years ago measured a shocking 9.1 on the Richter Scale and went on for nearly six minutes, resulting in some 20,000 deaths. Like America’s 9/11, the disaster is known in Japan as 3.11.

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The premise of the film involves Suzume’s chance encounter with a mysterious stranger who leads her to open a portal to an alternate dimension only she can see, but cannot enter. It’s ultimately revealed that the girl has unknowingly set into motion a chain of calamitous events involving a series of doors, a talking cat, a giant worm that causes cataclysmic earthquakes and the stranger’s transition into a three-legged chair. Around every corner in “Suzume” are metaphors that speak to Japan’s ongoing trauma and attempts to heal from its national devastation.

Shinkai acknowledges that much of the world has no knowledge or understanding of the 2011 disaster but emphasizes that his intent isn’t to preach to them or even inform them of its lingering impact on the Japanese psyche. “The film was much more informed by my own relationship with the disaster and how I’m constantly thinking about how that affected me and my surroundings,” he says. “For western audiences, I wanted them to see it as just a piece of entertainment and (to) enjoy the ride. In terms of moviegoers who experienced the disaster, it’s a different experience for them. That being said, I think the emotional journey that Suzume goes on is quite universal. It’s this idea that a force greater than yourself, something out of your control, can cause such loss and devastation, and coming to terms with that.”

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At the same time, Shinkai stresses that he was careful to make sure “Suzume” didn’t come across as too heavy and dark, particularly for the younger audience. “Structurally, I wanted there to be a different, more entertaining aspect to it, something a little more lighthearted – which is where I came up with the idea of a three-legged (human) chair. Visually, I think it provides this almost heartwarming and uplifting stimulus to audiences, knowing it’ll be onscreen throughout Suzume’s journey.” However, the idea of loss is embedded in the human chair’s having only three legs instead of four. “And in spite of only having three legs,” he adds, “the chair is still able to stand and walk and run throughout the film. So even though we might be carrying these wounds where we might be missing something, the fact it’s still able to move on and push forward is the universal message.”

The idea of remaining steadfast in the face of such monumental catastrophe has proven a pillar of Japan’s ability as a nation to move on. But living on such literally shaky ground serves as a daily reminder, Shinkai believes. “Throughout the entire population of Japan (is the fear) that we live side by side with disaster constantly. And you don’t know when or how you live might just disappear. The idea of being side by side with death affects us all subconsciously. This impacts Suzume’s dialogue in the film as well, her constantly saying, ‘I’m not afraid to die.’ I think that is a result of this omnipresent nature of disaster,”

“Suzume” is available to stream over the service Crunchyroll.

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