Lightning rod
The eldest daughter Nagisa, the second daughter Ryoko, and the youngest Wataru lived together. But Nagisa decided to leave the home. Nagisa says goodbye forever to them and leaves. Three days after Nagisa leaves, Wataru crosses a certain line..
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Nobuyuki MorikawaDirector
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Nobuyuki MorikawaWriter
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Kyoka TanakaKey Cast"Ryoko"
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Nanaho NabaKey Cast"Wataru"
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Shiori TsuchiyaKey Cast"Nagisa"
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Tetsuya kawajiSound recording/mixing
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TrickSTAR MUSICMusic
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Nobuyuki MorikawaCinematographer
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Fukuko TokudaProduction manager
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Nobuyuki MorikawaProducer
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:12 minutes 44 seconds
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Completion Date:March 3, 2023
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Production Budget:150,000 JPY
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Country of Origin:Japan
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Country of Filming:Japan
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Language:Japanese
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Cinema Wonderland (at Koenji Theater Bakkasu)Tokyo
Japan
October 21, 2023
Japan premier
"Ice of giraffe" (2024) ninth directed
"Heartbreaking" (2024) eighth directed
"March 12th" (2024) seventh directed
"barren" (2023) sixth directed
"birthday" (2023) fifth directed
"Lightning rod" (2023) fourth directed
"Cross" (2022) third directed/unpublished
"Living." (2022) second directed
"gate" (2022) First directed
"Lightning rod" is the first work I produced (directed) using sociology. I must say that before "Lightning rod", I had not really tried to create works while researching and considering the relationship between individuals and society. The turning point was the social phenomenon of the coronavirus pandemic that began around the end of 2019.
The coronavirus pandemic had have a tremendous impact on society, politics, economy, culture, education, and all other fields and aspects of the world, resulting in extreme confusion.
Unparalleled problems had emerge, including vaccines, medical collapse, masks, self-regulation, urban lockdowns, remote work, restaurant bankruptcies, class closures, and conspiracy theories. People continued to search for the correct answer in the dark, even though there was no idea what the correct answer was in the first place.
In Japan, characteristics that had been hidden for a long time, such as peer pressure and an inability to face reality (stop thinking), which are unique to Japanese people, had come to the fore.
As a Japanese person, under the influence of the coronavirus pandemic in my country, I have begun to research and deepen my thoughts about the actual situation, as I myself have struggled with it.
I'm very embarrassed, but I've never given much thought to social trends or individual behavior as a result. I hadn't attempted to think about society and politics, conduct thought experiments, or take actual political and social action. This is certainly my own problem, but I also think that a major problem in Japanese society is that there is no habit of citizens having in-depth discussions about society and politics.
I have experienced the social phenomenon of the coronavirus pandemic, and it has become impossible for me to live and continue making films while ignoring all social issues.
I also got into the habit of reading books on sociology, philosophy, economics, etc. to learn more about society. What particularly appealed to me was the fact that sociology draws on various academic disciplines to study the ever-changing "ambiguous society."
I had decide to interpret sociology in my own way and create works that utilize sociology. "Lightning rod" was completed by condensing and reflecting the global turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic into the story of three siblings.
The eldest daughter suddenly decides to part with her younger sister and brother. The youngest child is driven by anxiety and urges to cross a certain line. The second daughter can only watch from the sidelines what the two of them do. I believe that the behavior (words and deeds) of these three people is very similar to the behavior of people who are at the mercy of the coronavirus pandemic, which I have actually experienced.