Isao Yukisada’s latest film is just another love story, but with two men

Japanese director Isao Yukisada wants audiences to understand that the love story in his new movie The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese is about human connections between two people who happen to be men – defining the movie as a queer or LGBTQ drama , meaningless is his eyes.

“I didn’t think too much about this movie, whether it was LGBTQ, queer or anything else,” Yukisada said in a Feb. 10 roundtable interview in Seoul’s south Gangnam district. “A lot of people seem to think we made the film because of what’s called the trend these days of embracing diversity. But the original manga series of the same name was released in Japan over 10 years ago and I think this love story between two people is timeless.”

The original manga series on which the movie The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese is based was a huge success and received rave reviews from the public, even when love stories between people of the same sex have never been publicly spoken about, according to Yukisada. The central story is about two men who were once classmates who meet again and fall in love.

“The title of the manga series and our film refers to an old Japanese proverb, ‘A cornered mouse bites’ — but the twist here is that the cornered mouse dreams of cheese,” Yukisada said. “The dream in the title could refer to either of the two main characters or to a time when we humans meet other humans and share an unforgettable time together.”

While Yukisada didn’t kick off The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese with any particular agenda or political message, he wanted the film to show that love transcends gender.

“I hope that in a few years my film will be accepted as another ‘ordinary’ love story,” Yukisada said. “We as individuals meet others, fall in love—whether it be between male and male, female and female, or female and male—and hurt one another. It’s all the same. I wish we could all understand ‘different’ forms of love than we’re used to.”

Referring to the original manga series behind The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, the director talked about how the series sparked a discourse on such “other” forms of romance among Japanese viewers.

“I didn’t know the manga series myself when it was first published in 2006,” Yukisada said. “But I knew it received tremendous support and many readers were in favor of it even then. Japan used to be a society that didn’t accept such love. However, I think this story is something universal that transcends time and all other limitations.”

The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese has garnered attention for the intense physical scenes between the two male leads. According to Yukisada, these scenes were actually easier to shoot with the male actors.

“Intensely expressed physical love scenes are being shot less and less in Japan,” Yukisada said. “But I wanted to show on screen the extent of the two characters’ feelings for each other, while also showing an equal intensity between male-male and female-male couples.

“When we’re shooting a love scene with female actors, there’s so much to think about and be aware of. But with two male actors, I felt more comfortable as a director,” Yukisada said. “It was an experience I hadn’t had before.”

Yukisada also addressed the recent resurgence in popularity of Japanese productions such as “Slam Dunk” in Korea and the ongoing collaboration between Korean and Japanese filmmakers.

“I think part of the popularity of ‘Slam Dunk’ in Korea is due to the film’s cross-generational appeal,” Yukisada said. “This film is about the passion and hard work of us in this generation who read the manga series and has a different kind of universal appeal.”

About the collaboration between Korean and Japanese filmmakers and the influence each group can have on the other, Yukisada carefully laid out his thoughts on the subject.

“I find it artistically productive that we influence each other,” Yukisada said. “But I also think we all have something unique to bring – Japanese filmmakers should stick to what Japan does best, while Korean filmmakers also have their own strengths. We both need to be open to influence, but not change too much from what we are naturally able to express.”

Yukisada stressed that more and more collaborations between Korean and Japanese filmmakers are already in the works.

“These collaborations are kind of inevitable,” the director said. “And the quality and strength of Korean content is now recognized around the world. I’m about the same age as ‘Parasite’ director Bong Joon-ho, but I feel like there’s a big gap between him and me. I want to get to the core of what makes Korean content so attractive.”

Yukisada’s new film, The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, opened in Korean theaters on February 8.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]