Kana (Yuumi Kawai) is a listless young woman in her early twenties living in Tokyo. Working as a beautician, drifting between men, and moving through life without clear rhyme or reason, her character is abrasive, unexpected, and revelatory to encounter on screen.
“Women outside of the norm have always been characters that I wanted to see, and you don’t really see them in Japanese cinema compared to North American or European cinema,” director Yoko Yamanaka told IndieWire in a Zoom conversation ahead of the film’s New York opening this week. “In life, we often meet these types of people. My mother is a great inspiration, because she’s particularly that type. It’s important for me to very realistically spotlight these types of characters in my work”.
“Desert of Namibia” is a somewhat unclassifiable film, but it’s deeply felt, defiant, embodied – female. “I didn’t go out of my way to think about my positionality,” said Yamanaka. “I realized after finishing the film that there are things that intrinsically are contained within a film due to the author behind it”.
The film equally owes its truth to its lead performance — the hypnotic malaise at the core of “Desert of Namibia” is held in every molecule of Kawai’s presence. “I’d met her a few times prior to writing, to get to know her personality and how she thinks,” Yamanaka told IndieWire. “When I started writing the script, the role was shaped for her. She had a complete understanding of the material, which was surprising to me. I never explained to her the inner thoughts of her character. It’s a very physical role.”
In a memorable moment, Kana and one of the men she’s seeing share a toilet seat and urinate together. Refreshingly matter-of-fact, the scene is strangely touching, standing out in a film that, surprisingly, contains zero sex scenes. “I wanted to think about how I could convey an intimacy between the two characters without sex.” said Yamanaka. “Something more specific to those two particular characters, but just as meaningful”.
The male characters have received a mixed reception from audiences, so Yamanaka is pleased when we bring them up. “I think young men in Japan and around the world are realizing that they don’t fit comfortably into the patriarchal norms of toxic or macho masculinity. They realize that they socially lose out when recognized as aggressors, so they try to hide that aspect of themselves – there’s a duplicity” Yamanaka said. “When the men in the film are criticized by the protagonist, they immediately apologize, they’re conflict-averse. I wanted the male characters to reflect what I see in young men today.”
The directors’ astute perception of (mis)communication between the sexes stems from her experience growing up with her parents, who stayed together for societal and financial reasons. She said, “Witnessing two polar-opposite people stay together really influenced how I see relationships between men and women. I think it’s important that we interact with one another in a way that allows us to coexist and live together, and that we’re intentional in how we communicate”.
The audience response has been illuminating and educational for Yamanaka. “It’s been highly dependent on each viewer’s positionally and experiences.” she said. “People of my generation see themselves or someone in their life in Kana’s character, and they’ve thanked me for creating a character like this. But there are certain types of people for whom it can trigger anger and resistance, almost as if to say to me: ‘What are you trying to do with this film?’ That reaction isn’t limited to Japan. It’s as if — instead of speaking about how they felt about my movie — it’s a self introduction about what they stand for. There have been a lot of sexist reviews. I think that the film draws out what people are truly feeling, even though that wasn’t my intention in making it”.
It’s impossible to discuss the gendered reception that “Desert of Namibia” has received without touching on the topic of #MeToo. The Japanese film industry saw an overdue reckoning with internal power harassment in 2022, and production approaches have been shifting in response.
“Although I’ve heard a lot of horror stories, by the time I started making commercial films, those who enacted power harassment on set were no longer being hired.” said Yamanaka. “I’ve felt very safe and comfortable, but I know that’s due to others’ efforts”.
That’s not to say that being a rising female talent has felt easy for Yamanaka. “I’m a bit afraid of backlash.” she told IndieWire. “Sometimes people will treat being a female filmmaker right now as ‘trendy’ and I don’t perceive it that way. What’s important is that the system needs to change, and that the older generation — even on a surface level to begin with — continue to make changes. For instance, making sure that at least half of the staff on any production are women.”
She added, “I think the older generation are feeling bullied by the youth — they don’t understand why these changes are necessary. I want to tell them to relax, and to allow these changes to happen — because in the end it’s going to be better for everyone”.
Last year, “Desert of Namibia” saw Yamanaka become the youngest Japanese filmmaker to premiere in Directors’ Fortnight, a feat replicated at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in the programming of Yuiga Danzuka’s feature debut “Brand New Landscape.”
“I’m very happy that more people of my generation are starting to take the reins and take up space. There’s a general shift where we’re starting to become the forefront of all these industries.” Yamanaka said. “But I also feel a big sense of responsibility. With this generational changeover, we become the people creating the content that will be received by the next generation and influence them. So I can’t simply continue making whatever I want or be too careless.”
Yamanaka evidently cares a lot about audiences and the people who her work will impact, and that ethos is core to how she understands cinema. “For me, movies have always been the quickest and easiest way to meet others,” she said. “You can walk into a theatre and instantly encounter people from different countries and generations, who live completely different lives. I grew up thinking that was the best part.”
Now, she understands that “many audiences don’t see movies that way” and also don’t have patience for material they don’t understand. Nevertheless, this hasn’t stopped her from finding interest in the offbeat.
“I want to continue to see unusual people on screen,” she said. “This movie is about following someone whose psyche and actions aren’t always understandable — but she’s very alive, that’s what I want people to get out of my film.”
Kani Releasing will release “Desert of Namibia” at Metrograph in New York on May 16th, with LA locations to follow. Yamanaka’s previous work, “Amiko,” will also screen at Metrograph on May 17th and at American Cinematheque on May 22nd. With thanks to Monika Uchiyama for translation.
