Today's movie series, the fifth installment, features the British film "Love Actually." Hugh Grant, who also appeared in "Notting Hill," plays the British Prime Minister. He's so dapper. I absolutely love his British gentlemanly demeanor. I even studied abroad in England because I admire him so much. That's how much I like him. And I'm telling the truth about studying abroad.
Actors create a world through their presence.
Having only ever worked in the IT industry, in my twenties, I genuinely believed that work was only worthwhile if it involved achieving high results in something that could be measured numerically. My introduction to the greatness of art largely came through a friend of mine who is a film director. We often had drinks together and discussed in depth the differences between the definitions of "design" and "art."
He kept repeating the gist of how design is a method for solving problems, while art is about raising questions, that is, something that gives us the opportunity to explore the unknown.
Acting is often cited as an art form. What really made me realize how amazing this profession is was when I visited the China Cinema Museum in Beijing.
While recent films heavily utilize CGI, the actual filming locations are often starkly sterile studios, a stark contrast to the images we might imagine. One exhibit explained that even scenes depicting characters being cornered on cliffs are actually filmed in a setting with only a green screen.
In such a sterile and unexciting space, how can humans create expressions and a sense of immediacy that depict a life-or-death situation through acting? When I think about that, I can only feel the greatness of art and respect for those who make a living from it.
In a world where hate is often shouted, love is overflowing everywhere.
Now, "Love Actually" is one of my top five favorite movies, and it opens with a scene in the arrival lobby of London Heathrow Airport. Along with Hugh Grant's narration, we see people rejoicing in reunions—parents and children, lovers, old friends. In these times when hatred is often in the news, I think that even if you went to the arrival lobby of Haneda Airport right now, you could see plenty of "love"—people rejoicing in reuniting with someone.
