“At Home” opened as the premier screening at Yoshimoto Gion Kagetsu on 16th October, the first screening film of the 1st Kyoto International Film and Art Festival. Opened to theatres in 2015, the film attracted a large audience for the cast greeting at its world premier.

    

Yutaka Takenouchi, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Yuina Kuroshima, Yuto Ikeda, Itsuji Itao, Seiji Chihara and director Hiroshi Chono all took to the stage to cheers at the event, introduced by Emcee Natsuko Mori of a-Station. 

An ordinary family is the basis of “At Home,” but the father (Yutaka Takenouchi) and mother (Yasuko Matsuyuki) both hide different faces, leaving the audience questioning what is on other side. One day, the mother becomes involved in a crime and it is revealed that the family is not related by blood. Each family member’s difficult past is revealed gradually as the story continues.   

The director shared his memories on stage explaining; “I was born in Shiga prefecture in Kansai. So I have been here (Yoshimoto Gion Kagetsu) to see triple features when the building used to be a movie theatre, Gion Kaikan. I am so glad to have this event at a place where I have many memories.” 

Answering a question about his feeling of the premier screening, Chouno said “It has taken 2 -3 years to finish this production from when the idea first came up, but we had a shooting in June and post-production has just finished in September. It’s really a fresh film. Finally the movie has been completed, so I worried and excited, it’s a very mixed feeling.” 

Takenouchi shared his first impression of reading the script. “There is no perfect shape of a family and each family has their own ways, but I felt that even though there is no actual genetic connection, people who feel difficulties can build a human bond and deep affections, even more than a normal family may have in a unsatisfying society. I grew up happily without any problems because of my parents, and I just simply believed ‘family is family.’ But when I finished reading the script, I had questions like ‘what is a family?’ ‘what is the [meaning of] the genetic connection?’ Your feeling after you watch the film may be the same as my feeling after I read the script.”
 

Matsuyuki also commented, “It’s a very heart warming script and the structure of the script has space between the lines, not just the story and characters. I’m looking forward to seeing how the atmosphere in the script will be changed when it becomes a movie. Director Chouno described each character’s background very well, and I think that this is a beautiful work that will seep into people’s hearts.”

As they shared anecdotes from the shooting, Takenouchi said, “It was in the rainy season during the shooting, so it made problems. The family doesn’t have any relationship by blood in the script, but the actual relationship was also getting closer throughout the shooting even though there was a distance in the beginning.” 

Finally before the film screening, the group gave messages to the audience. Takenouchi said, “It’s a story about people who had a hard time with their family and then were saved by their family. I do hope you ask yourself ‘What is a family?’” Matsuyuki said, “It’s beautiful piece. You may get a refreshing feeling after you watch the film.” Director Chouno added, “I’m curious about how the audience will interpret the title ‘At Home’ of the movie. It has a double meaning: family and the house, so I’m glad if people think about this. The film opens next year, so if you feel something or have strong impressions, please share them with your friends.”