Inspiration

What draws me to this film is the stories of childhood friendship and nostalgia, like those in Spielberg’s work. I’m equally inspired by the romance and rebellion of Jean-Luc Godard, the poetic sadness of Kieslowski and Theo Angelopoulos, and the explosive violence of John Woo and Park Chan-wook. I also admire the sharp wit and blood-soaked tension of Japanese cinema, like the films of Toshiya Fujita and Masaki Kobayashi.

These are the types of characters I want to bring to the screen: flawed, brutal, unaware of how broken they truly are. I want to see them confront that truth. To test their bonds. To ask what happens when violence is no longer the answer, and friendship is all that remains.

A big thematic part of this film is the fear of death, which I've been struggling with for some time. In reality, it's not the fear of the action or way of dying, but of the unknown. How does it feel? Where do we go? What's the matter with it all?