Bilal Kawazoe's film "WHOLE"

監督川添ビイラルの作品『WHOLE』は【大阪アジアン映画祭・オンライン座】で上映中。ミックス・ルーツの青年が自身のアイデンティティを探し求める姿を描き、“ハーフ”という言葉や概念、そして今の社会について一石を投じる意欲作。3月２０日まで上映。お見逃しなく!

Filmmaker Bilal Kawazoe's short narrative film "WHOLE"explores the hafu experience in Japan. In the film, Haruki, a biracial student decides to quit college and travel to Japan. Makoto is a construction worker raised in the projects of Kansai who is also biracial. Haruki and Makoto grow closer and begin their journey from "Half" to "Whole.""WHOLE" is currently playing online at the Osaka Asian Film Festival until this Saturday, March 20th, 2021 JST. We asked Bilal a few questions:

Can you tell us about your background?

I was born and raised in Kobe, Japan. My mother is Japanese and my father is Pakistani. I've always felt like a minority here in Japan and so I tend to gravitate towards telling stories of struggle and hope.

What was your motivation for making the film “WHOLE”?

My brother, Usman (who plays Makoto in the film), and I always felt that there was a lack of understanding and misrepresentation of hafu in Japan. Also, we never saw a narrative film that sincerely touched on this topic, so we felt the responsibility as filmmakers to create something that was genuine and unfiltered.

What are some of the stereotypes about hafus and what are the ways in which you want to break them through this film?

I think there are a lot of stereotypes that come from the media and entertainment industry. Some are negative and some are just grounded in ignorance. Unfortunately, those stereotypes often paint all hafu the same way, and that's what we wanted to address through the two main characters, Haruki and Makoto.

Even though the film features two hafus with very different economic statuses, they form a bond over being hafu. Can you talk about what draws them to each other?

Being hafu is definitely what draws Haruki and Makoto to each other, but them being opposites in terms of personality is also what bonds them together, just like people who aren't hafu. I think most mixed people go through similar experiences, thus letting us instantly relate to one another. I think for some hafu, having a friend like themselves would go a long way and save them from being and feeling alone.

In the film whenever someone asks Haruki if he is hafu, he responds “No, I’m double”. When Makoto hears this he snorts “What does that mean?” in response. Tell us what you were trying to illustrate here. What are your thoughts on the term daburu vs hafu?

I wanted to talk about how people label us, and what it means to different people. And I also wanted to speak about what is comfortable for each person. Like yourself, I don't mind being called hafu but I've met people who hate being called hafu, and want to be called mixed or double instead. As you mentioned, I've also heard of parents pushing other terms on their children, but in the end, I believe and wanted to say that it is up to the individual to decide.

Why did you call the film “WHOLE”?

Before we began filming, we titled our film hanbun which means "half" in Japanese. But I felt it didn't fit this story because it's about two people trying to find and accept their identity. So I ended up changing the title that reflects positivity and growth. The title was also inspired by Stephen Murphy-Shigematsu's "When Half Is Whole" which I read several times during the writing process.

What message do you want people in Japan to take away from the film?

I initially wanted people in Japan to understand and feel what it's like to be mixed-raced in a homogenous society. But as I was creating the film and meeting with people of different backgrounds, I realized I wanted people to think about what other minorities go through too. I also want people that are hafu to think about this because I believe we aren't exempt from stereotyping others as well.

What do you think it will take for Japan to be more accepting of diversity/hafus?

I think there just needs to be more mixed-race people in Japan, but I know that's very unrealistic. A lot of people in Japan don't have friends or people they know that are hafu so sometimes it's hard to blame them. That being said, I think what we can and should do is to keep speaking of this matter and having our voices heard. I feel that this is very important, and will steer our society towards the direction of being more accepting.

What are the distribution/screening plans going forward?

We will be releasing it online this summer, but hopefully, we'll also screen the film in arthouse cinemas by the end of the year! I'm currently talking to a distribution company, so fingers crossed!

Check out the trailer here:

https://vimeo.com/317858592