Artists I Like: Takashi Miike

In the cinema world and amongst film fundis, the name Takashi Miike needs no introduction. He rose to international fame in ’00 when two of his films (Dead or Alive and Audition) blew up on an international platform, thanks to film festivals. He is a director with well over 60 films under his belt, and is often called out for not sticking to what is considered “normal” and he has a penchant for the OTT. This is a man that doesn’t limit himself to the horror genre of ‘the unknown’ but more towards the horror of what people are capable of. Though he prefers not to classify himself under any genre- the horror genre you may find him under is what he’s been classified as, but he doesn’t see himself that way.

"I'm happy that my films were discovered by chance by foreign film festivals. That makes me realise more that there is a world outside Japan too. For me, it's an occasion to meet many people and to experience directly the response of international audiences to my films. But for me as a director, my attitude towards making films hasn't changed with the fame. I feel it's not good to change as a person anyway" - Takashi Miike

In a 2001 interview, he explained that his directing style often includes collaboration with the actors and actresses in which he is more of an “arranger” than a director. In other words, he puts scenes and situations together, makes suggestions to the actors/actresses and they would interpret it for themselves- I think this style allows for his movies to be a little more organic in their nature than a lot of other films. Takashi Miike is also very well known for including (or portraying) people from nationalities other than Japan in his characterisation or in his film crews- as opposed to sticking to a traditional Japanese crew and mix of characters. This is a really important element of his work, as it becomes more inclusive of people from other walks of life, making him more international in his appeal.

Above: The different faces of Takashi Miike

Takashi is not short of emotion or imagination for his work; he is well known for the sometimes gory scenes in his works, as he is always trying to push the envelope regarding societal norms in the cinematically conservative Japanese landscape. If you’re a horror buff and can’t place where you’ve seen Takashi’s face before, you probably spotted him in his cameo scene in Hostel (as Miike Takashi), which he did as a favour for his buddy Quinton Tarantino.

So next time you're craving a good horror movie, go to your nearest good video store and pick up some Tashaki Miike dvd's, you won't regret it!