12 Suicidal Teens: blockbuster director explores Japan’s youth suicide issue
- Yukihiko Tsutsumi has been a prolific filmmaker over his 30-year career and now he turns to a story with a social message
- His latest film doesn’t rely on scene changes, instead using strong emotions and powerful acting
In a career that has spanned more than three decades, Yukihiko Tsutsumi has churned out more than 70 films, TV shows and documentaries, including such popular features as 20th Century Boys (2008-09), the futuristic film trilogy based on a popular manga, and Initiative Love (2015), a gimmicky romantic comedy.
While many of his efforts were commercial films made with sizeable budgets and bankable stars, the prolific Japanese director, now in his 60s, says he is taking a different path with his latest projects, tackling social issues and sending a message in the process.
“What kind of world do we have to face in the future? That’s a question I think about every day,” Tsutsumi tells the Post via an interpreter at the recent Hong Kong International Film Festival, at which his new film, 12 Suicidal Teens, received its Hong Kong premiere.
In the film, the filmmaker takes aim at a problem that has long plagued the Japanese society: youth suicide, which reached a 30-year high in fiscal 2017, with more than 250 children taking their own lives.
The government survey offers no clear reason for the alarming phenomenon, but Tsutsumi’s film, based on a book by the novelist and screenwriter Tow Ubukata, points the finger squarely at the adults and society.