Sisterly love

Suzu shines in her latest film

By Tatat Bunnag
Photos courtesy of
Sahamongkol Film International

Japanese movie fans who are familiar with indie classics like After Life, Nobody Knows or the 2013’s Cannes Jury Prize winner Like Father, Like Son, will be happy that veteran filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda has returned with the heartwarming drama Our Little Sister.

Based on the successful manga series, Umimachi Diary, by Akimi Yoshida, Our Little Sister is a classic Japanese family drama. At their father’s funeral, three sisters find out that they have a 13-year-old half-sister, called Suzu, and decide to take her in.

Our Little Sister features some of Japan’s hottest stars such as Haruka Ayase, Kaho and Masami Nagasawa, as well as 17-year-old actress and model Suzu Hirose in the role of Suzu, the youngest member of the Koda family.

Student Weekly recently had an opportunity, with help from Sahamongkol International, to do an exclusive interview with Suzu. We asked about the making of Our Little Sister, which opens in cinemas on August 12.

Student Weekly: This is only your third feature film, but you have played in several TV dramas before. Do you find it harder working on films?

Suzu: It’s just different. When you’re working on a TV drama, you normally don’t have much time for preparation, but the filming process on Our Little Sister was very slow and careful. The film took three years to finish. I also found it very challenging, because the director didn’t give us a script to read before shooting, as he wanted us to portray the characters naturally.

Student Weekly: The film is an adaptation of Umimachi Diary. Did you read the cartoon before working on the film?

Suzu: Yes, just a little when I found out that I would be in the movie. But once filming began, I knew that I shouldn’t continue reading it, because I didn’t want to cling to the comic book character too much. I think connecting with the other actors is more important. I had to stop thinking that Suzu is a cartoon character, and start thinking that she’s real.

Student Weekly: Are you familiar with Hirokazu Koreeda’s other films?

Suzu: I’ve seen Nobody Knows. I think it’s a deeply moving film. It’s very beautiful and yet very sad. Our Little Sister is quite similar. It’s a family film that conveys Japanese culture.

Student Weekly: What was most challenging about working on this film?

Suzu: In one of the early scenes I decide to get on the train after the three sisters invite me to go and live with them. My character is quiet and rarely shows her emotion, but at the same time she’s very sensitive. After her father passes away, she has no place to go. But to live with her sisters is a big decision, as she knows that her mother ruined their family.

Student Weekly: When did you first realise that you wanted to be actress?

Suzu: I wasn’t that interested in acting until recently. I enjoyed working as a model, but once I started working on this movie I fell in love with acting. Just one blink of an eye can express so many things, which is the charm of acting. Now I want to be a full-time actress.

Student Weekly: You have an older sister, Alice Hirose, who’s also an actress. Are you and her close?

Suzu: Yes, Alice is three years older and we’re very close. Perhaps because we grew up in a small town with very few girls our age, we spend a lot of time together. There’s something special about being sisters. We don't tell each other everything, but we tell each other a lot. There’s a scene in the movie where the sisters are fighting over clothes, which we’ve done in real life!

Student Weekly: Why shouldn’t movie fans miss Our Little Sister?

Suzu: You’ll understand the Japanese way of living and culture so much more after watching this film. Families face so many obstacles together before becoming a loving unit. I feel proud that this movie can be seen outside Japan, and impress people in different cultures.

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