Film Name: NEW RELIGION
Director: Keishi Kondo
Writer: Keishi Kondo
Starring: Kaho Seto, Satoshi Oka, Ryuseigun Saionji, Daiki Nunami
After her daughter’s death, divorced Miyabi works as a call girl. One day, she meets a weird customer who wants to take a picture of her spine. Then, at another assignation, her feet. She soon realises that every time she allows her body to be photographed, her daughter’s spirit gets closer. Soon only her eyes remain to be captured, leading to the collapse of society in this bold, visionary and unique fantasy from a new and culture-shocking Japanese voice.
In a new exclusive interview on Blazing Minds, I got a chance to ask writer-director Keishi Kondo a few questions about the film New Religion which will be making its World Premiere at Arrow FrightFest on Monday 29th August at 13:30hrs.
Q. Your film NEW RELIGION has been selected to play at the Arrow FrightFest Film Festival. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. The film is about a mother who lost her daughter, meets a strange man, and encounters her daughter’s spirit. I believe that you will experience the mother’s sense of loss and despair not only through the film’s story, but also through light, sound, and stretched time intervals, and will have visions of the curse on society. The film bends your mind.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for NEW RELIGION?
A. I have been influenced by a lot of music. Abul Mogard’s Half Light of Dawn was essential for writing.
In addition to that, Rakuen / THE NOVEMBERS, The Triumph of Death / Brian McOmber, We Dream All The Dark Away – Abul Mogard Remix / Abul Mogard, Fovea Hex, End of the Death / Mars89, Love / Mica Levi, Over The Rainbow / HTRK, And many!
Q. What were some of your influences for the look and style of the film?
A. Cure by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a legendary Japanese thriller in the 90s. Under the Skin by Jonathan Glazer, Only God Forgives by NWR, David Lynch’s works, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Those are a huge impact on me, however, Harun Farocki’s film made my mind become to think in another way of storytelling. It is like storytelling by another species.
Q. Did you make any changes from the original script during filming?
A. Yes, I did that many times. I love to get feedback from actors or locations or staffs and change a script from time to time.
Q. What were some of your favourite moments during filming?
A. First of all, that was when I saw Oka stood in front of camera at the day 1. He finished his job with no mistake and it looked perfect. I convinced I was correct to cast him as Oka.
The next memorable scene is when Miyabi intuits her daughter’s spirit for the first time and opens the window. The curtains flutter in the wind at the perfect moment, which was also the best moment obtained after several attempts. I remember the guy who opened the entrance doors to make air going through the room, again and again, was Oka. The expression on Kaho Seto’s face as she touches her daughter’s face was also a particular focus. She tried again and again to inspire me.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. There were many production issues since our team has not enough experience for filmmaking.
In particular, the production team was under-resourced and did not work well together on site. There were days when filming went beyond midnight. We were only making this film on our days off, which added to the burden of the staff and cast working the next day. Day by day, teamwork improved and the team eventually became much more efficient.
Q. What makes NEW RELIGION stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. Needless to say, the lighting and music make this film unique. The downbeat, contemplative style of the film is unparalleled. I also offer a few explanations and do not answer questions such as what the moth is or whether Oka is a human being. I have tried to make this a thoroughly chilling piece by making everything a cypher. Through this coldness, I wanted to express the curse on society.
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. I think the film is kind of complicated because I put metaphors or philosophy in it but didn’t explain too much. I hope audiences make their own movie in mind during or after watching it.
Also, I hope the film is not just about depression. The film is about love In the deepest part.
Fear too of course.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. Now I have been writing scripts.
One is a short movie called MULTIVERSE OF CHAIRS. The protagonist is a chair. Literally, a chair. This is a story reflected Japanese customs that we believe objects can have soul. In this story, the chai and his variants face danger of disappearing from existence, but their interaction with humans saves the chairs of the multi-world.
I have a feature film project.
One is the Cthulhu Mythos in a feud between an LGBTQ+ couple over the adoption of a child. The style would be close to NEW RELIGION. Very erotic and violent film. The story includes climate change worldwide.
Another is a sequel to NEW RELIGION, but it will be in a completely different style. The story is about a female vampire who lives in the metaverse and tries to meet her father. More straight Sci-fi film. I will try to envision a new form of vampires in cinema.
Q. If someone was looking to write and direct their own film what advice would you give them?
A. I think the most important thing about filmmaking is to find your unique voice. I think audiences are looking for new ways to see or express our world when they see cinema. For that, you have to dig into your desire. Is that truly your desire? Or just someone put in you?
You can find out more about the Festival and purchase tickets here: https://www.frightfest.co.uk/
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
