I felt ‘hope’ at the end.” Masahiro Higashide’s first starring role in three years in “The Sound of Grass.

“I wanted to change my personality. I knew I had to become the opposite of what I was in order to survive.”

Her skin is rough, her brow is tightly creased, and her gaze moves timidly. This is the very first scene.

I interviewed Masahiro Higashide, whose first film in three years, “The Sound of Grass,” is about to be released.

“I think I did the best I could as a husband.

At the beginning of the film, the protagonist, who is suffering from a psychological disorder, is diagnosed by a doctor.

“Do you ever feel like you’re a bad person?

“Yes.

“Do you ever want to die?

“Yes.

Do you ever want to die?” “Yes” asks Shigeru Muroi, the psychiatrist. Mr. Higashide, playing the role of Kazuo, answers the questions. Mr. Higashide, who plays the role of Kazuo, looks very small.

“When I played this role, I was aware of the symptoms of his disease, autonomic dysreflexia. I think Kazuo was doing the best he could as a husband. He wanted to get better, and still he got sick. And being immersed in such a state of mind, he looks very selfish to those around him.”

Mr. Higashide answers politely. In the film, Kazuo is running around in a sweatshirt that he has never worn. The actor in front of me, Masahiro Higashide, is beautifully dressed in a black suit with an edgy design. Higashide, who is being interviewed, is large and looks like a different person, much like he does on screen.

I just kept running through the streets of Hakodate.

“This time we shot on location in Hakodate at the end of autumn. We shot almost from the beginning of the script in order, and spent 17 days in Hakodate. It was like a training camp.

Based on a novel by Yasushi Sato, a writer who died young, “The Sound of Grass” is the fifth Sato film to be produced by Hakodate Cinema Iris. The previous film, “Kimino Tori ha Utaeru”, is a masterpiece that vividly captures a summer and is a legendary film with many enthusiastic fans.

“Hakodate is a tourist destination, but I avoided shooting in touristy places. I avoided filming in touristy areas, but I think that in fact brought out the charm of Hakodate. The way Higashide keeps running is just as I imagined.

The main character, Kazuo, who is modeled after Sato himself in the original story, runs every day under orders from his doctor. The main character, Kazuo, who is modeled after Sato himself in the original story, runs every day on doctor’s orders. He is sick at heart and cannot understand his wife’s feelings.

“But I think Kazuo was doing the best he could at that time. He couldn’t afford it, and I think that was the best he could do.

He spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully.

“As with the original story, I felt that the script of the film did not make a definite statement that the answer was this way, but showed that life and death, happiness and unhappiness were separated by a thin layer of skin. I shot the film with trust in the script and the director.

In addition, this time the director said to me, “Let’s be accomplices. I always believe that a film is the director’s property, but I interpreted the word “accomplice” to mean “to direct as well,” and I sometimes made suggestions during filming.

Anyway, I’ll live without dying.

In any case, he lives without dying. “I think the director was conscious of directing the film so that there were as few lies as possible. I think the director was trying to be as truthful as possible in his direction, and I wonder how far he could go without giving a clear explanation.

In “Sleeping and Waking” (2018) and “The Spy’s Wife” (2020), he played a role that evoked a sense of madness and showed his presence.

What is the most memorable scene in this film? I asked him about his most memorable scene.

I asked him what was the most memorable scene in this film: “There was a line, ‘You can’t touch a person’s heart. I feel like it’s the truth, but I also want to say that it’s not true. It’s scary to touch people’s hearts, but we all live our lives wanting to touch them, but we can’t, so maybe we’re lonely. I thought about many things.

When I said, “I don’t touch people’s hearts,” I was at a loss for words and started to cry. It might have been an act. If so, it was too much.

What is the “Masahiro Higashide” you want to show in this film?

“I don’t want to show myself in any way. I just want to lighten the load of people who are having a hard time living right now, even if just a little. I thought about this when I first read the script, but when I saw the finished film again, I felt ‘hope’ in the last scene of the film.

I don’t think that people who are currently in the depths of grief will be saved by watching the film, but even though I don’t know, I decided to play the role to the best of my ability.

There were no snappy or catchy words. He thought about it, sometimes to the point where we were bewildered, and came up with an answer. Maybe that’s the kind of person he is. The film “The Sound of Grass” does not have a clear answer or a happy ending. It shows a person who lives life to the fullest and just keeps on living without dying.

The Sound of Grass” Cast: Masahiro Higashide, Shunsuke Daito, etc. The film will open in Shinjuku Musashinokakan, Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho, Shibuya, and other venues nationwide on Friday, October 8. Hakodate Cinema Iris is currently showing the film in advance.