How Hikari Came To Direct The Bold, Beautiful 37 Seconds
Hikari is a new director on the rise. Her feature length debut 37 Seconds is a festival hit, playing at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award in the Panorama Section.
“I’m just so happy,” she said as we talked over lunch at Lulu’s Cafe in the Fairfax District. “I was like what! I did not expect anything. I was just so happy to be in Berlin.”
The film focuses on Yuma (Mae Kayama), a young mangaka dealing with cerebral palsy, an overbearing mother, and an exploitative boss. Eventually, she seeks to make extra money creating pornographic manga. When a publisher to tell Yuma, a virgin, that in order to get the gig she needs sexual experience, she undertakes a journey of personal and sexual discovery.
Hikari’s journey to being an honored director started in Osaka, where she was “Born and raised.” She was an artistic child; singing, dancing, participating in choir, and even singing opera. She dreamed of being an actor, and this lead her eyes to drift across the sea.
“I guess I’d been wanting to move away from home for the longest time. As long as I can remember,” she said. “I was 9-years-old or 10. I was watching the TV at night, and I saw this TV show. The visual image was just of trees, of palm trees right, it looked like California. I found out it was California. The Mamas and The Papas’ California Dreamin’ was playing. I remember seeing it, watching it vividly, and I was like ‘wow, I want to move there.’”
Her journey to LA came by way of Utah, where at 17-years-old she went as an exchange student for her senior year of high school. It was mostly exciting living her dream in the U.S., but life in a conservative state wasn’t always easy.
“I felt people weren’t looking at me as another human being. You definitely feel racism, or people don’t know how to deal with me,” she said.
She now considers both Japan and the U.S. her home. When the time came she was initially set to go to college in Japan, but the price of theatre school there gave her mother second thoughts. She suggested looking into colleges in The States. A friend was going to Southern Utah University to study theatre, and Hikari decided to follow. After earning her theatre degree, she did what so many do and headed west.
She moved to Los Angeles where her film career started in front of the camera rather than behind it. She got an agent and worked in commercials and music videos in addition to snagging some small parts in TV and films. The traces of a director were there throughout. No stranger to composing images, she made money as a photographer and selling her paintings.
Hollywood, as we know, is a tough town. Eventually, her career as an actor started to flame out. Her mom was there once again to give key advice, why not direct? This led her to apply to the University of Southern California’s prestigious film school, where she received her masters in 2011 with the help of a scholarship.
“To me it was the best experience ever because I had no idea how to make movies. I didn’t know anything about it,” she said.
As an artist her influences are wide ranging. In addition to the great Japanese filmmaker Kenji Mizoguchi she cites blockbuster powerhouse Steven Spielberg’s The Never Ending Story, and arthouse favorite Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite as inspirations. She also mentioned, Edward Scissorhands, Arrival, I Am Sam, and Laurence Anyways.
Her journey to making 37 Seconds a reality took several years. Sadly, the reasons are all to familiar to those who are aware of the injustices in the industry.
“I think it took me a little longer than any other guys perhaps,” she said.
She thinks this was “definitely” about being a “woman,” although she believes there are many good opportunities for women available now. This wasn’t her only time confronting this. For similar reasons she has had a rough time pitching commercials.
“Some director or some agency end up taking my idea and making it into a commercial spot, and they won’t hire me because I’m Asian and I’m a woman. They hire white guys,” she said. “I’ve experienced that many times. That’s why I don’t want to do commercials anymore. I don’t want to waste my time.”
Despite these hardships 37 Seconds debuted this year to a warm reception.
One thing you can say about Hikari is she’s bold. Not one to take the safe road, she had no qualms about using her first feature to try and shake up the audience. Her film is a unique, empathetic look at the life of its protagonist. It tackles difficult themes of exploitation, sexuality, family, sex work, friendship, and ableism. A socially conscious person, Hikari is here to change minds as well as entertain.
“I think movies have such power. You can definitely influence the people watching, their thoughts, and the way they look at their life. How am I doing with my life? What am I doing with my life? Am I nice to people? Am I being taken advantage of? Whatever that is. Am I speaking up for myself?” she said. “I want people to realize where they’re at.”
In regards to sexuality, she believes people in Japan are more sheltered than in the U.S. despite prostitution not being uncommon in the island nation. She also notices there is more ableism in Japan, citing the issues of people avoiding and fearing folks with disabilities as well as the difficulty of navigating Tokyo in a wheelchair. She says she wanted the movie set in Tokyo to break taboos.
She is nothing if not meticulous. While writing the script she conducted multiple interviews with sex workers, adult manga artists, and people with disabilities. One of whom, Yoshihiko Kumashino, a man with a disability, actually appears in the film as the best customer of Mai (Makiko Watanabe), a sex worker who takes on the role of best friend/sister to Yuma. Hikari was adamant that characters with disabilities should be played by actors with disabilities.
“I don’t believe actors who are able-bodied can play that role. I don’t believe it. I never believed it,” she said.
The filmmaking process was not without hardships. It was a 45 day shoot and is dedicated to Hikari’s friend and supporter Hideo “Paul” Kitabayashi, who supported the film only to die on the last day of sound mixing.
In spite of the tragedy and difficulties the film has done well and is currently available on Netflix. Hikari’s career shows signs of momentum, with a comedy for Apple and an HBO Max drama in the works. It would seem that her career and life are mirroring what she said is the message of her work.
“I’d very much love to have a certain message. Even 37 Seconds, my message really was you can do whatever you want if you just keep pursuing what you want to do. At least keep pushing forward to it. Sometimes, if the voice is loud enough, the doors will open.”
