Aitai
Searching for one’s identity
Directed by Miluum
Artistic visionaries Sachiko (writer) and Mica Komagata (cinematographer) are the founders of Miluum, a directing duo originally from Japan and now based in Berlin. Miluum’s approach is poetic rather than prosaic. Inspired by global events, their inaugural film No Bad News Today emerged during the pandemic and the Ukrainian conflict. Today, we delve into their latest creation, AITAI (longing), a visual poem exploring identity from the LGTBQ perspective, drawing from the Japanese aesthetics of tranquillity.
Tell us about your journey as a directing duo. What brought you together and how do you complement one another?
Miluum is composed by Sachiko and Mica Komagata. We both moved to Berlin around 2001 from Japan, where we had already been playing in a band together for many years. It is through music that we learnt to trust each other’s taste. As Mica works as cinematographer and Sachiko has a background as philologist of modern German poetry, it was natural for us to progress into film - a place where we can combine all our tools.
In the world of music, time flows diachronically: creation happens within that frame. On the other hand, with film the time axis is not necessarily unidirectional. Movies involve various elements such as language, sound, and movement in addition to images, so while it’s not as pure as music, it’s possible to take a more complex approach. It allows for a very decisive bird's-eye view of the central theme.
Our work as a filmmaking duo began a couple of years ago with our first short film. The covid lockdown inspired us, followed by the war in the Ukraine which also influenced our story. The film was titled No Bad News Today - experimental, lo-fi and simple-but-abstract.
In your own words "AITAI (longing) is described as a work of visual poetry depicting the search for identity and belonging which draws from Japanese aesthetics of tranquillity". Can you take us through your creative process and share how you achieved this in ATAI?
Although we had a rough concept at the start of filming (Tokyo, specific locations, intimacy, fashion), we didn’t have a script. What we had was more like a fragmented memory, a number of tableaux that had not yet been exposed, or a kind of musical mood. Based on that, we examined the footage that we had shot, and through this process, words came and converged into a story. In other words, we did not try to create images to match a concept and achieve some kind of a message or aesthetic, but rather we listened to the story that the images themselves told. It's an unspoken voice, which we wrote down. We picked up the words and weaved them together. Rather than creating something, we feel more like we listened carefully and dictated it. That is our basic style.
Tell us about the cast. Why did you pick models Riku and Minor? What was it about them that fit what you were looking for and how did you find them?
It started with the simple idea of shooting a fashion film in Tokyo. In our research for models and ideas, we found Riku and Minor both through different online magazines and interviews. It was a coincidence that both of them are sexual minorities, but perhaps because of their unique gender identities, they had different perspectives and introspections from other people, which made them interesting individuals.
Visually, the contrast between them is interesting. Plus they both look gorgeous and are photogenic. Both of them have a slight gap in between their gender and sexual identity. The gap is rather gentle and ambiguous in Riku’s case and seems undefined to a certain degree. In Minor’s case, the gap is sharp and clear. Because their identities do not overlap exactly, various connotations and dramas are born from the discrepancies in their trajectories, giving a wider range of interpretations.
The best way to make a film is to avoid preparing a single answer to a question and leave it up to the viewer's free interpretation. Since this is always an important goal, we thought that the images expressed through their visuals and movements, which are difficult to fit into a box, and the gaps between them would match our style.
“The best way to make a film is to avoid preparing a single answer to a question and leave it up to the viewer’s free interpretation”
We love the styling! Who did you work with and how involved were you?
We asked both models to bring their own wardrobe. That way we got to know them better and they could also express themselves. First they sent us pictures of what they had and we chose the ones that would match the scenes, locations, and which gave a contrast between them. For instance with Riku (they/them), we liked how their wardrobe was an interesting mix of genres, genders, patterns, colors, moods. You can tell how passionate they are about fashion, and how it reflects their view on the world. They are quite tall, but their movements and expressions are very soft and more on the “kawaii” side. Minor (they/them) has thin and elegant lines, and they can go from very feminine to very masculine, but also beyond any gender. Minor is a natural talent as a model. The textiles come alive as soon as they slip into it.
Our Hair and Makeup artist Yuna did an amazing job. The touch is subtle - we love subtleness - but still creates a contrast between the two models. The double sized red coat in the last scene was created by Riku. We saw this coat in their portfolio as a designer, and felt it would be part of their story. Dayoshi, our props artist, created the heart made out of jeans overnight - an important piece which holds the story together.
The sound is very evocative and complements the images and script beautifully. Who did you work with and what was your brief?
Gordian Gleisz of 86Tales created the soundscape and did the sound design. Our collaboration with Gordian started early in the process, when we had just finished a rough cut without any sound. At the beginning, we discussed what the best approach would be in terms of music and sound. We all felt the same way: this film needs “sound textures”, rather than conventional music. Then we talked about the narrative side, how it begins with two individuals lost in time and space. Then “time” finds them and they arrive in the “now”. But they are still alone. And then they meet in the same “time”. It ends with a discovery and a conundrum.
Gordian took it from here, and he came up with great ideas and wonderful sounding textures and harmonies/disharmonies and noises. Our editor Dominik Braz Bittrich also did really creative sound editing. It was very collaborative. It’s great when you just discuss the essentials and hand it over to your creative partners and let them take things to the next level.
What are you working on next?
We have several films in pre-production and two films in post production.
The Walk is a fashion fairytale that revolves around time, woven by three characters who symbolize three different time concepts: pre-solar calendar, post-solar calendar, and transcendental time perspective. This is the antithesis of Western linear time and the current sense of time after the advent of social media. Then we have DAISUKI. This is the journey of a girl who is shaken by the narcissism and anxiety typical of adolescence. The film is an attempt to uncover the mental landscape of a young girl by following her wanderings in search of something without even knowing what she is looking for.
Director MILUUM
DoP MICA KOMAGATA
Words SACHIKO
Music & sound design GORDIAN GLEISS (86TALES)
Editor DOMINIK BRAZ BITTRICH
Colorist LUTZ FORSTER
Lighting director YASUYUKI SUZUKI
Assistant camera YUTA TOKESHI
Hair & makeup YUNA
Props DAYOSHI
Co-producer KOHSUKE SAKAI
Location manager HIRONORI TOGAWA
Supported by SOUP FILM
Cooperation WAWIAN
Cast RIKU
Cast MINOR
Voice LIV AYANA