LIFE, co-starring Dane DeHaan and Robert Pattinson, had a special screening on October 24 at Shinjuku WALD9 in Tokyo and other locations as part of the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival, during which photographer and film director Anton Corbijn attended for “greetings from the stage”.
The film portrays the journey and the friendship between photographer Dennis Stock and James Dean on a journey they took just before Dean’s death. DeHaan plays the part of Dean, and Corbijn says that at first he wouldn’t meet with them, but mutual friend Lars Ulrich, the drummer from Metallica, convinced him. “In whatever role he plays, he makes you believe it’s real. You can make the outside look the same to a degree, but it takes the genius of the actor to fill in the gap between that and the real deal. DeHaan is able to fill that gap.” said Corbijn, showing complete faith in DeHaan. Regarding the role of Stock played by Pattinson too, Corbijn says that “since the success of Twilight, he has been acting on interesting roles that have developed him as an actor.
I think he wants to give us some proof of his talent. I thought, well the cameraman Dennis also wanted to prove his talents to the world too. I felt that they were similar as people.” Regarding how they worked together, he reflected that they “were able to produce some really good energy on set.”
When the director Corbijn first accepted the offer, it seems that he had an interest in Stock, being a photographer too. “For more than 40 years I also took photos of people who were exposed to the public, so I was really drawn to the relationship between Dennis Stock and his subject matter. This is the story of the balance between a photographer and the star that is his subject matter”, he explained. Corbijn says that the secret to building a relationship of trust with your subject matter is “if you have a relationship of trust, you will become like family, and you will be able to take photographs in situations where other photographers will not be allowed in. I too was able to build up those relationships of trust with U2, Tom Waits, and Depeche Mode. In this movie the two main characters develop a special relationship, and that is why Dennis was allowed to photograph Dean in his home town.”
Corbijn revealed that he likes the Japanese artists “Daido Moriyama and Nobuyoshi Araki, and would love the chance to meet them, and try to photograph them. Japan has surprises in store for me every time I visit. While it’s really hi-tech, the people, the hues, and the food combinations are wonderful. My senses never fail to be stimulated”, he smiled. “This is not a film that has a big message to convey, but rather, a work in which you can enjoy the nuances” he said of how to enjoy his film, and spoke of its title. “The title LIFE is the name of the magazine that showed Dennis Stock’s photos, but at the same time also indicates human life. When you meet someone, you are affected by them. In life, there is also death. I would like the viewers to get a sense of this fact through this film.”
The 28th Tokyo International Film Festival runs until October 31. LIFE will be released nationwide in December.
The news provided by eiga.com 
