Memories play a big part in our lives. Many of us get so caught up in past memories -- good and bad -- that we forget to live in the present. We dream of going back in time to relive the most magic moments or change the things we regret.
An old-fashioned Japanese coffee house promises to make this dream come true. Ayuko Tsukahara's latest fantasy drama Cafe Funiculi Funicula, based on a pair of best-selling novels by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, serves up a magical cup of joe with several spoonfuls of sentimentality to boot.
The film features rising Japanese star Kasumi Arimura as Kazu Tokita, a waitress at the titular café. But this is no ordinary coffee shop; Cafe Funiculi Funicula is touched by a kind of magic. If customers sit at a certain table, they are transported back in time to relive a moment from their past. There is one very important rule, however: whatever they have to do must be done "before the coffee gets cold" (the literal translation of the film's Japanese title).
Life spoke to 26-year-old Arimura about the film ahead of its release in Thai cinemas tomorrow.
What can you tell us about Cafe Funiculi Funicula?
There are four different parts in one film, but they are all connected in the end. The story itself is quite complicated, so I had to read through the movie script and try to remember it before we started filming in order to understand my character better. Although many parts involved a lot of fantasy, which made it hard for me to get a picture of what the film would come out like.
What are the differences between the film version and the books?
The film is a little different from Kawaguchi's novels. The husband and wife characters, played by Yutaka Matsushige and Hiroko Yakushimaru, are different because it's the wife who gets ill in the film, not the husband, as in the book. And the character Ryosuke Shintani, played by Kentaro Ito, only exists in the movie version.
What was it like working with director Ayuko Tsukahara for the first time?
I enjoyed working with Tsukahara a lot. She's definitely a role model for women in the film business. She's very straightforward and never hesitates to make comments about your acting. My character, Kazu, was quite a tough role to play because she's very complicated and has a lot of stuff on her mind most of the time. At first, I wasn't sure if I was playing it right, but the director helped guide me through all my problems.
Which of the film's four stories is your favourite?
I remember the first time watching it, I wept at the scene with Yaeko Hirai (Yo Yoshida) a lot, especially when she travels back in time to meet her sister for the first time. It really broke my heart. Yoshida played the part so well, like it was really her life. It was just amazing!
There's a scene where you kiss actor Kentaro Ito. What was it like shooting the scene with him?
Kentaro is quite a shy guy, so we had to do a number of takes to get it right. It was challenging because we had to do the scene with fireworks in the background. The director kept warning us not to fail, so it was quite intense. But we nailed it in the end and it was beautiful. It was fun because Kentaro was absolutely one of my best friends on set.
If you could travel back in time, like in the film, which part of your life would you revisit?
I would perhaps go back to my high school days. I entered show business when I was a teenager. At the time, I was working so hard that I missed my graduation ceremony with my school friends. We had such good memories together, but unfortunately I didn't get to say a proper goodbye. Yes, that's the time I would want to go back to.
Kasumi Arimura in Cafe Funiculi Funicula Photos: Sahamongkol Film International
