Comedy duo Maeda Maeda, consisting of two brothers in grade school, have landed a starring role in the next film by acclaimed director Hirokazu Koreeda. Titled "Kiseki," the movie will depict the bonds of a family in the Kyushu region.
Koreeda decided that he wanted to make a film set in Kyushu, due to the scheduled completion of the Kyushu Shinkansen in March 2011. Koreeda is said to be fond of trains, and he has also been interested in doing another film about children ever since he became a father. His last film starring a child actor was the 2004 piece "Nobody Knows" ("Daremo Shiranai") with Yuya Yagira (20).
The story revolves around the brothers Koichi (played by 12-year-old Kouki Maeda) and Ryunosuke (played by 10-year-old Oushiro Maeda). Koichi lives with their mother and grandparents in Kagoshima, while Ryunosuke is with their father in Fukuoka. Their dream is for their divorced parents to reconcile so that they can live together as a single family again. With the coming completion of the Kyushu Shinkansen that will connect their two cities, the two boys hear that when the first trains meet, a miracle will occur. As a result, they recklessly concoct a plan to create a real miracle of their own.
Koreeda says that he was inspired to create the main characters after meeting the Maeda brothers at an audition. The rest of the cast will feature actors that have been in previous films by the director, including Nene Otsuka (42) as the mother, Joe Odagiri (34) as the father, and Kirin Kiki (67) and Isao Hashizume (68) as the grandparents. Yui Natsukawa (42), Hiroshi Abe (46), and Masami Nagasawa (23) will also appear.
Filming begins on September 18 in Fukuoka. The movie is planned for a summer 2011 release.
tokyograph