Koji Fukada's 'Nagi Notes' Explores Art as Vessel for Desire at Cannes

Koji Fukada's new film 'Nagi Notes' premiered on 13 May at the Cannes Film Festival, exploring how art becomes a vessel for characters' desires. The narrative follows Yuri (Shizuka Ishibashi), who visits the remote town of Nagi on Honshu to sit for sculptor Yoriko (Takako Matsu), the sister of her ex-husband. The film features the Nagi Museum of Contemporary Art (Moca) and its permanent installation 'Ubiquitous Site • Nagi’s Ryoanji • Architectural Body' by Arakawa and Madeline Gins. Characters express their desires through art: Haruki (Waku Kawaguchi) sketches Yuri hoping she will marry his father; Keita (Kiyora Fujiwara) draws migratory birds to escape school. Yoriko's studio is filled with unfinished busts, including of her late friend and Haruki's mother. Fukada's domestic drama shares thematic parallels with Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 'Drive My Car,' particularly in art's therapeutic uses. The film unfolds over a week and a half, structured around calendar pages being torn off, embedding art in daily life. 'Nagi Notes' is screening at Cannes until 23 May.