Hirokazu Kore-eda explores weight of creation in 'Look Back'

BUSAN — Renowned Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda said his new movie "Look Back" explores a story about the creative struggles and sense of duty that storytellers experience. "When I happened to read the original comics at a bookstore in Tokyo, it hit me with tremendous shock," the Palme d'Or-winning filmmaker said in a press conference at the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). "It prompted me to look back at myself and ask why people write stories, why they create and why I make movies." Adapted from the web comic by Tatsuki Fujimoto, best known as the creator of global hit “Chainsaw Man,” the movie follows two young girls, Fujino (Natsuki Deguchi) and Kyomoto (Aju Makita), who bond over their shared passion for drawing comics before navigating separate paths through their adolescent years. The film features Deguchi and Makita as the older Fujino and Kyomoto, alongside child actors Furi Nanase and Rokka Okada, who depict the characters during their early school years. Kore-eda said casting was a delicate process aimed at selecting actors who are able to effectively