Coming and Going With the Wind, shot over the course of four years, is the last of Yanagisawa's important body of documentary works. As shooting began, the production time stretched on and on. Then, due to friction that developed between Yanagisawa and the group home which serves as the location for the film, the completed work is fifteen minutes shorter than the one originally shown at the group home.
During the making of this film, in order to clarify why the shoot was taking so extraordinarily long, I planned an event called the Group Home Film Festival in Nagoya, to give Yanagisawa the opportunity to explain. We had a question-and-answer discussion in which I asked him questions, while we screened about two hours of silent rushes of the film. Here is one of the things he said.
"The times that the male residents and the female residents of the group home can come and go from the facility are staggered. Now why do you think that is?" The reason was this. "You see, it's because if the boys and girls should happen to leave together, it is then possible for them to date!"
This time at the Yamagata Film Festival we are delighted to present the director's final edited version in its entirety. It is truly a shame that Yanagisawa was not able to begin shooting the film that he had planned to make next,Nurse cap.
[Shirai Yoshio]