His genre-blending and genre-bending action films made Sabu an icon of contemporary Japanese cinema. It is about time the actor-turned-director makes his debut at the Venice Film Festival. There he gives a prime example of his kinetic mix of cop thriller, psychodrama, and black humour with Arrested Memory. Premiering out of competition, the fast-paced crime story follows a corrupt cop who fights memory loss as well as an armada of bad guys and colleagues in the middle of a kidnapping case. On site at a rain-swept Venice, the prolific filmmaker found time for an interview with Lidanoir about how acting experience influences his direction, the place of genre film in A-list festivals, and addressing serious issues through popcorn cinema.
Lida Bach: Your newest film is an action film, a cop movie, and a mystery thriller. How did you come up with the idea for this film?
Sabu: The genesis of the script started around 20 years ago. At the time, it was really popular to make cop stories, especially violent and crooked cop stories. So I wanted to do something like that as well, but not in the ordinary way people were already used to. I decided to add the element of memory loss to see how pure one can become when one is losing one’s memory. I hoped this would add depth to the story.
LB: About 20 years ago, there were also films like Memento or The Machinist that deal with amnesia and blackouts. Did any of these works, or perhaps other films, serve as inspirations for Arrested Memory?
Sabu: First of all, one of my works from 2000, Monday, is about a guy getting drunk and blacking out. He forgets how he got to where he wakes up, looks into his pockets, finds things there, and slowly, piece by piece, remembers what happened the night before. That idea was already in my mind, and I wanted to extend it into a police officer story. That’s how the initial concept came about. But, of course, like you said, there was Memento. I watched it around 1996, and liked it. That also played a little role in it.
LB: Today, a lot of action films rely heavily on special effects, but your films are still very visceral and contain a lot of physical action. How important is it for you to have this really palpable aspect?
Sabu: Acting is a big part of making a movie for me, and action itself is a form of acting as well. Those effect have been done so many times, and so many people are doing them. I didn’t want to be exactly like others. That’s why I decided not to rely on those techniques and instead focus on pure physicality.
LB: You’ve been an actor yourself, and still act occasionally. How does that influence your directing style?
Sabu: I’ve had the experience of being told not to be nervous when I was acting, so I understand what it feels like from that side. When I was an actor, the cast would tell me that it was very helpful for a director to have had some acting experience. I know when I’m adding unnecessary things.
LB: You mix a lot of genres. There’s also black humor and personal drama in your story, and we already spoke about how it combines mystery, crime, and action. How difficult was it to balance all these different aspects?
Sabu: I love to take advantage of everything. I don’t like that kind of common strain where action films are solely about action. I’m not fond of limitation. Since I write my own scripts, I was able to write the original script this time as well. I think I was able to balance everything pretty well.
LB: When shooting, what was the biggest challenge?
Sabu: I had never used an LED studio before, so it was a completely new experience for me. The studio was in Taiwan, and I was able to get used to it after spending some time there.
LB: What do you enjoy the most when making a movie?
Sabu: I think this film was fun because I was the only Japanese person on set. The rest of the crew were Taiwanese, and the DP was from Hong Kong. That kept me on my toes and gave me a thrill. It was a lot of fun because everything felt fresher than when I’m shooting in Japan.
LB: There’s a contrast in the story between the conscious mind and the intellectual investigation of the police officer. What do these elements mean for you?
Sabu: Originally, when he was a child, he lost his parents were killed, and eventually, because of that, he developed a really strong sense of justice. That’s why he became a police officer. With that noble intention, he joins the force, but then, throughout his career, he is influenced by his superiors and colleagues and becomes a crooked cop. That was the original setting, but we don’t have that violent and crooked aspect in the current script.
At one point, Jack became a really dark and violent figure. By showing I wanted to emphasize that we, as human beings, are often affected by the things around us. Eventually, those influences become a form of armor. When loses his memory, he loses all those exterior layers, all those armors. This change of character fascinated me.
Lida Bach: Your make films from a whole lot of different genres, including serious drama and romance. What genre do you enjoy the most, and is there any genre or form of film that you would still like to explore?
Sabu: I don’t specifically predetermine which genre I want to work on. It depends on how I feel when I’m writing the script. One of my basic principles when I make movies is to entertain the audience. So when I’m writing a script, I might start with more black humor. But as I write, I pay attention to the balance of the script, the characters, and everything else. That can shift throughout the course of writing it. So I don’t really decide in advance which direction I want to take, because it can change while I’m writing. But ultimately, the goal is to entertain the audience.
LB: And now you’re here at the Venice Film Festival, where you’ve also had films in the past, as far as I know. How does it feel to come back?
Sabu: It’s a very interesting time in Japan right now. A lot of movies are adaptations, maybe of a novel or an animation, and they try to make a live-action version of it. It’s really rare to have something based on an original script. So being able to come here this time with my very own story is very meaningful. People are enjoying it, and that makes me really happy.
LB: Still, we see only a tiny portion of genre films, including horror and action films, at A-list festivals, even though a few make the cut. How do you feel about that? Do you think this does genre films an injustice?
Sabu: Regarding my own film, if I make something that can make the audience laugh as they leave the theater, that’s for me a real accomplishment and something meaningful. Even if I don’t get invited to a festival, I’m happy to give the audience a form of entertainment that at the same time makes them think about important issues.
LB: You’re incredibly prolific in your work. Do you ever feel tired, or is there still a huge amount of things you would love to do?
Sabu: I feel like I have to keep running until I die.
LB: Are you working on a new project at the moment?
Sabu: I’m working on a new script. I want to finish it by next fall.
LB: Are you allowed, or would you like, to say just a little bit about what it’s about?
Sabu: It’s a love story, but a simple one. It’s about a complicated encounter. It’s a little bit of a comedy as well. It’s a story about two women who are the main characters. Up until now, men have been at the center of my films, so this is a little different
LB: Major European film festivals only include Asian films to a limited extent, and it’s often the same directors. At the same time, there are huge Asian film festivals, but very little of that cinema makes its way into the European film market. Do you wish those worlds would be more open to each other?
Sabu: I don’t know if I’m in a position to judge about that. In general, I think it’s good to be open to new forms of cinema and have a variety of stylistically and thematically different films. This is what keeps it interesting. And otherwise, how would you discover something new? Of course Asian representation is important to me. I have a lot of Asian friends. But I’m always busy with my current projects. Where are you from?
LB: Berlin. So I have seen some of your films at the Berlinale.
Sabu: Luckily, my films are always welcome at European festivals, so I’m grateful for that.
LB: Thank you for this interview!