From conflict to friendship: Sho Miyake's 'All the Long Nights' opens JIFF

Movies

Published: 02 May. 2024, 15:16 Updated: 02 May. 2024, 17:02

From conflict to friendship: Sho Miyake's 'All the Long Nights' opens JIFF

Japanese director Sho Miyake speaks during a press conference at the Jeonju Cine Complex on Wednesday for his latest film "All the Long Nights," which is the opening film of the 25th Jeonju International Film Festival. [YONHAP]

JEONJU, North Jeolla – Human conflict is nothing strange, especially when it comes to being in the workplace. But what if the conflict was caused by the mere sound of a colleague opening a bottle of carbonated water?

This is the case for Fujisawa (played by Mone Kamishiraishi), the female protagonist in “All the Long Nights,” Japanese director Sho Miyake’s latest heartwarming flick and the opening film of the 25th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF). The event kicked off Wednesday evening and will run for 10 days.

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“All the Long Nights” is based on the book of the same name by author Maiko Seo.

In Fujisawa’s defense, she couldn’t help it: She has struggled her entire life with premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, and tends to get emotionally agitated easily, even over the most trivial things. She then apologizes to her colleague, Yamazoe (Hokuto Matsumura), but finds out shortly after that he suffers from a panic disorder. An unlikely friendship blooms as Fujisawa and Yamazoe start to help each other deal with their difficulties.

The film unfolds like a tranquil ripple for two hours; there are no antagonists nor is there a dramatic arc. It’s rather therapeutic for the audience to see the two characters, as well as the surrounding characters who all have problems of their own, form close bonds that show the warmth of humanity.

Director Miyake was drawn to how Fujisawa and Yamazoe weren’t “passive” when it came to overcoming obstacles, he said during a press conference at the Jeonju Cine Complex in Wansan District on Wednesday.

A still from "All the Long Nights," the opening film of the 25th Jeonju International Film Festival. [JIFF]

“There are so many different battles that people have to face, and I particularly wanted to highlight how some of them are unable to even sustain a proper job because of them,” Miyake said. “It’s a societal problem even in Japan. I wanted to offer an opportunity for everyone to think about these various perspectives.”

“All the Long Nights” has a similar take to Miyake’s previous film, “Small, Slow but Steady” (2023), in that they both involve settings where businesses are in dire straits. “Small, Slow but Steady” follows a boxing gym that’s about to close down, and “All the Long Nights” sees the two protagonists work at a small company called Kurita Science, with characters on-screen saying that “the goal is not to go out of business.”

This resonates with Miyake’s own experience and concern regarding the film industry, as the movie theater he worked at during his university years, like many others in Japan, has closed down.

Though he acknowledges these troubles, whether they be regarding mental illness or the movie industry, Miyake remains optimistic. “There are so many people in the world who love film so much and want to protect movie theaters that I’m positive they will never go extinct,” he said. “And it’s this similar mindset that I have portrayed in my films.”

Miyake expands the plot by using the universe as a metaphor in the film. It features a planetarium as a setting, showing how the stars and planets ceaselessly change. The setting portrays the message that even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise to a new day, alluding to a hopeful future for the characters.

From left: co-directors Jung Jun-ho and Min Sung-wook, Japanese director Sho Miyake and programmer Moon Seok speak during a press conference at the Jeonju Cine Complex on Wednesday for Miyake's latest film "All the Long Nights," which is the opening film of the 25th Jeonju International Film Festival. [YONHAP]

The director said he was inspired by the narratives of many different people at dawn. While he was finishing up a day of hard work, he saw that others were just beginning theirs. The phenomenon intrigued him, seeing that there were so many different perspectives and narratives in existence. This is why “All the Long Nights” became centered on the motif of daybreak.

It also provided a “motivational” outlook for Miyake, especially when he rode the first train to shoot the movie and see the sun rise. “For me, it always marked the start of a new day that I looked forward to.”

“All the Long Nights” will screen at the 25th JIFF until May 10. The schedule can be found on the festival’s website.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]