A Filmmaker's Sensitivity to Language
Director Tatsuya Mori is widely known for his work as a filmmaker, but he is also exceptionally gifted at crafting language. In addition to his roles as a film director and documentary director, he is a versatile creator who has earned recognition as both a nonfiction writer and a novelist.
Books such as 'Broadcast Banned Songs,' 'The Shimoyama Incident,' and 'Tokyo Outskirts' address themes that cut into the depths of society, much like his films, while drawing readers in with Mori's distinctive perspective and prose style. 'A3,' in particular, won the Kodansha Nonfiction Award in 2011 and cemented his reputation as a writer.
What deserves particular attention in Tatsuya Mori's work is the way he constructs narratives by combining images and words. Rather than merely adding explanatory narration to footage, he brings out the full power of language itself and creates a mutually complementary relationship between language and image.
For example, at the beginning of 'i: Shimbun Kisha Documentary,' Mori asks, 'When did you first learn the name of journalist Isoko Mochizuki?' The sentence does more than convey information: it calls up viewers' own memories and encourages them to form a personal relationship with the images they are about to see. This use of language reflects Mori's literary sensibility and adds literary depth to the documentary form.
Self-Reference and Narrative Strategy
A defining feature of Tatsuya Mori's work is its strong self-referential quality. In 'FAKE' and 'i: Shimbun Kisha Documentary,' Mori, the person behind the camera, appears before it himself, at times speaking with his subjects and at other times addressing viewers directly. This is more than a directorial choice; it is also a literary strategy through which he consciously assumes the dual positions of narrator and observer, recorder and participant.
This kind of self-referential narration also has affinities with literary techniques said to have influenced Tatsuya Mori. By deliberately showing that a narrator's subjectivity and interpretation inevitably enter what may appear to be an objective record of facts, he reexamines both the limits and the possibilities of documentary as a genre.
As titles such as 'All Wars Begin with a Sense of Self-Defense' and 'How to Live as an Individual Without Being Swept Along by the Group' suggest, Mori's works always contain deep reflection on society and on how individuals should live. That reflection does not remain an abstract philosophy; it is shaped into concrete language that encourages readers and viewers to think for themselves.
Recent books in particular, including 'Lessons for Not Becoming a Cog' (Seidosha) and 'How to Live as an Individual Without Being Swept Along by the Group' (Chikuma Shobo), bring Mori's role as a social critic into sharper focus. These works do more than criticize society. They pose the practical question of how each of us can live autonomously within it.
Literature as a Place for Dialogue
One especially notable aspect of Tatsuya Mori's writing is his use of conversations and coauthored works. Through exchanges with experts in many fields, including 'Beyond the Century of War,' a conversation with Kang Sang-jung and Akira Ikegami, and works coauthored with Isoko Mochizuki, he deepens his thinking.
In these collections of conversations, dialogue between people with different perspectives develops more complex, multilayered thought. They reflect Mori's faith in the 'possibility of dialogue,' something he has always valued. His refusal to rely on one-sided assertions or definitive claims, and his effort to approach the truth through dialogue with different opinions and perspectives, also lie at the heart of his literary approach.
Mori's use of language in 'September 1923,' which he presented as his first narrative feature, can be seen as the culmination of his literary approach to date. His own words on the official website—'That is why I film. I am a film director. Nothing more and nothing less'—are simple, yet convey a powerful resolve.
The film's dialogue also goes beyond depicting a historical incident to pose universal questions to people living today, especially the question, 'Would you kill them if they were Korean? Is it acceptable to kill them?' Mori's literary sense can also be seen in his choice and placement of such words.
Filming What Lies Beyond Words
Mori's use of language in 'September 1923,' which he presented as his first narrative feature, can be seen as the culmination of his literary approach to date. His own words on the official website—'That is why I film. I am a film director. Nothing more and nothing less'—are simple, yet convey a powerful resolve.
The film's dialogue also goes beyond depicting a historical incident to pose universal questions to people living today, especially the question, 'Would you kill them if they were Korean? Is it acceptable to kill them?' Mori's literary sense can also be seen in his choice and placement of such words.
In Tatsuya Mori's creative work, images and words are never separate. Instead, they complement one another, sometimes colliding and sometimes resonating as they create a path toward deeper expression. He is a filmmaker with a profound understanding of the power of words, and a writer who explores the possibilities of images. This dual identity as a creator gives Mori's work its distinctive depth and breadth. Encountering his work also means encountering the rich expressive possibilities woven together by images and words.
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