Inch Forward

The small dramas that often push those involved in the making of a low-budget indie film to the brink of despair have been the subject of many small feature films. Here, too, we follow the initially highly motivated film crew as they shoot their hoped-for breakthrough project. Naturally, things take a different turn than expected. Director Kiriko is unsure about how to interpret her leadership role, not least because the producer ultimately holds all the strings. The producer doesn’t shy away from offering good advice and other directives, leaving Kiriko attempting to operate beyond her reach. This, of course, leads to many things going wrong, and conflict is inevitable. Even a road movie on foot isn't particularly original when the team falls into the cliché traps of an underdeveloped script, which, like many others, is meant to end with a scene on the beach. Kiriko feels torn between the producer on one side and the crew members on the other, who question her competence. Only gradually does she realize that she must first question herself before she can take the reins and bring her creative project to completion.

In her debut film, Taiwan-born director Yu-Chun Su skillfully weaves a series of her own bitter filmmaking experiences into the screenplay. She attended Tokyo University of the Arts, and this film is her graduation project. She managed to secure an up-and-coming star from the indie film scene for the lead role of the troubled director: with Nairu YAMAMOTO, she hit a home run. Yamamoto is featured in two other films at Japannual 2024, including the Venice discovery Super Happy Forever and the indie feel-good comedy Push Pause. Two years ago, she was already in the lead role of Imaizumi's Straying. Film director Nobuhiru SUWA (Voices in the Wind, 2020) makes an amusing cameo. Just as he is a real-life professor of the director, he gives the film's character a crucial piece of advice: "Work with what you have."