In “The Blue Breaks,” from Japanese filmmaker Uchiyama Takuya (“Numb”) based on Machiya Ryohei’s 2016 novel, a man who becomes pregnant through sperm donation and is unsure of his place in the world embarks on a journey to Korea. Japan-Italy co-production was among the projects at this year’s Tokyo Gap-Financing Market.
The protagonist, Shukichi, is a well-established part-time worker in his thirties living in the western edge of Japan. His sense of detachment is further enhanced when he discovers that his live-in girlfriend has a son whom he no longer has custody of. A night spent with a lonely boxer of Korean descent further complicates his sense of identity and sexuality.
He then meets Toko, a young woman who is terminally ill but takes herself for granted, smokes and smiles despite the little time she has left. His perspective is slowly making its mark on him. Eventually Shukichi and the people around him travel to Korea together, where they reckon with each other’s lives and deaths.
Uchiyama, who had previously written his own screenplays based on his personal experiences, said that he was interested in the book because it was published in the year he started making films and Machiya wrote the book at the same age as Uchiyama is now.
“The main character, Shukichi, struggles with the side of himself that has never been ‘manly.’ I’ve also spent most of my life feeling uncomfortable about what society expects of a man,” Uchiyama said.
He described the characters as people whose lives seem very different from each other, and said that Japan still expects everyone to be the same.
“Diversity is nothing new. It has always been there, even if we don’t always acknowledge it,” Uchiyama said. “I wanted to approach these emotions with a sense of lightness and make an unapologetically romantic film about love.”
Japanese producer Satoh Naomi from Differentia is behind the project, while Parsifal Reparato from Italian company Antropica is a co-producer. The team, working on the script, casting and financing, plans to shoot in 2027 and complete in 2028, and aims to have its premiere at an international festival.
Satoh said the two share a common sense of not conforming to the roles expected of them, whether in society at large or in the film industry, and that films that defy categories can be difficult to get financed in Japan.
“When ‘Numb’ was selected for the Berlinale, it gave me real proof that Takuya’s work could resonate with audiences beyond Japan,” Satoh said.
In Tokyo, the producers made progress on remaining financing and found international co-production partners, sales agents and distributors who could take the film beyond Japan and Italy.
Reparato said the film’s appeal lies in the way it rethinks family and identity, and Antropica, which has operated for years in Asia, including Vietnam, sees the project as a way to deepen ties with Japanese cinema with the help of Italy and Japan’s bilateral co-production framework.
“In this historic moment, building bridges is more important than ever,” Reparato said.
Uchiyama has also completed filming on a separate project and is currently in the editing phase.
Tokyo Gap Funding Market operated as part of TIFFCOM, the content marketplace affiliated with the Tokyo International Film Festival.