Story
Masahiro returns to Japan with his German wife Sandra. But since their arrival, he has been haunted by nightmares. He believes he has shouldered a heavy burden of guilt in a previous life as a samurai. A mysterious man in a bar tells him about a crypt in the Aokigahara forest. A bell is said to be hidden there, the sound of which dispels all worries.
Masahiro sets off with Sandra in search of it. But something happens deep in the forest that takes their journey in a completely different direction. As Masahiro is confronted with the shadows of the past, the question arises: what is reality, what is memory – and how do our roots shape our lives?
A film about home, guilt and the relationship between two people from different cultures.
Project
As in their multi-award-winning short films ‘Hunger’ and ‘Tokyo Rain’, Robert Schneider and Michel Wild produce a Japanese drama from their personal European perspective.
A film that crosses borders – visually, narratively and culturally. With ‘Komorebi – The Bell in the Forest’, Swiss filmmakers Michel Wild and Robert Schneider have dared to do the seemingly impossible: a film set in Japan that was largely shot in Switzerland, supplemented by hand-drawn anime sequences.
A work of pure passion – financed with their own funds, fuelled by dedication and a unique creative vision.
Anime
The anime sequences in Komorebi – The Bell in the Forest complement the live-action film in a poetic and visual way. They were conceived, designed and drawn by the filmmaker himself – over two years and countless hours, over a thousand keyframes were created.
All the images were drawn by hand on a tablet (Procreate) and then digitally animated. The result is a visually powerful parallel world that makes memories, dreams and inner states visible – and gives the film its very own visual depth.
Songs
Komorebi – The Bell in the Forest moves between the linguistic and emotional levels of Japanese, German and English. The result is a multi-layered soundtrack with songs composed especially for the film – a powerful mix of pop, hip-hop and rock’n’roll.
All songs were written and produced by Michel Wild himself, in close collaboration with international musicians from Japan, Singapore, Indonesia, Ukraine, Australia and Germany.
Crew
Supporting Crew
Patrizia Tschurr – Production coordinator / Script supervisor
Francesco Tancredi – Grip / Lighting / Set photography
Michael Rosio – Sound / Boom operator
Julia Schneider – Set runner / Clapper loader
Claudia Bisang – Set design
Urs P. Wild – Assistant production
Sven Christinger – Set design
Basil Bleuler – Set design
Naoko Yoshida – Translations / Set design
Kelly Chung – Set runner / Clapper loader
Mevio Delvais – Set runner
Yanic Meier – Set runner
Lukas Walker – Set runner
2nd Unit Japan
ARGA LLC.
Akira Otaguro – Second unit camera
Shinpei Horinouchi – Second unit assistant camera
Credits
News
