14 February marked the UK release of COTTONTAIL, a film directed by Patrick Dickinson and starring Lily Franky as Kenzaburo, who travels with his family to England in order to spread the ashes of his wife Akiko at Lake Windermere in the Lake District. A story on loss, family mending, and self-discovery, COTTONTAIL takes viewers on an emotional journey between Japan and England. We recently had the opportunity to sit down with the star Lily Franky and the director Patrick Dickinson to discuss the film, enjoy!
Cottontail takes viewers from Tokyo to the rural Lake District in England. In Japan, there are also stunning lake regions with rich nature. If viewers are inspired by the film’s rural scenery, what places in Japan would you recommend that offer a similar picturesque experience?
Lily: This time around, we filmed for about a week in Japan, and everyone from England came over as well. We filmed quite a bit of scenery in both Japan and London, but some was cut during the editing process. That being said, I think that some scenery and vistas within Japan are more known by overseas audiences than Japanese people themselves. People are going to places such as Yamaguchi Prefecture, and while traditional tourism sites are dealing with overtourism, in a way, people from abroad are becoming more knowledgeable about Japan’s natural beauty. But I do want people to go to the more rural areas more.
Patrick: I always tell people to go to Takayama. It’s a place that not a lot of people visit. Koyasan as well.
Lily: Hida Takayama is amazing. The snow will collect to be as high as the top of a bus. See Patrick you do know more!
Being from Fukuoka, I’d particularly like people to explore the downtown, walk around, and try a lot of the food. Ramen, udon, and traditional Japanese style food are all good options. Even if you just enter a restaurant without warning, people are welcoming.
Did you notice any similarities between the UK and Japanese countryside?
Lily: There’s definitely a lot of similarities. In the film, Ciarán and Aoife live in the countryside in a place where you can’t ignore others in need. I think that type of kindness is similar in both the UK and Japan. British people, like Patrick, have a politeness that is similar to Japan I think. So when Japanese people travel to the UK or British people travel to Japan, there’s a sense of familiarity. I only just arrived yesterday, but the driver who picked me up, store staff, everyone has been so nice, and it makes me want to just say ‘people here are really nice aren’t they?’
Cottontail is a deeply emotional story that touches on loss, family mending and self-discovery. In Japan, places like temples, shrines, and natural landscapes often serve as locations for reflection. Do you have a favourite place in Japan that brings you peace and/or inspiration?
Lily: Temples and shrines are large parts of Japanese culture; I’d probably say shrines. Explaining the exact differences between temples and shrines can be a bit tricky, with recognising both kami [Shinto deities] and Buddha within Japan. Shibuya is always quite busy, however in Meiji Jingu there are not as many people. I think that people can visit shrines in similar ways that they visit parks, a place where you can go and wish for some luck is a good spot isn’t it? So I’d go with shrines, I think that it can also feel a bit odd not visiting during times like New Year’s period. Look, I’ve also got an omamori attached to my bag, a red one. I got it during the new year from a shrine in Kokura.
Patrick: You gave me one last year, an omamori. I have it in my bag now.
Lily: People might think they could get in trouble if they just enter a temple, but shrines are quite open, I think people would enjoy going to shrines to have a moment to relax.
What was it like to film in both Japan and the UK, in two quite different settings?
Lily: We filmed in Tokyo, London, Lake Windermere, and I think in terms of location, it was quite a rich experience. Each location was quite different, Patrick piece together everything in the final edit of COTTONTAIL, and each location retained their unique atmospheres. You go from a scene of a Buddhist monk chanting sutras, to walking, to going through farmland, it’s cool how they can all coexist. Kenzaburo’s travels take him from Tokyo to London to Lake Windermere, we also filmed in Tokyo, London, and then Lake Windermere. I don’t have too many chances to get to northern England and I thought it was an amazing area, I’d love to go back again someday.
Cottontail beautifully portrays grief, family and cultural contrasts with beautiful sceneries. What drew you to this story, and what was the most challenging aspect of bringing this to life on screen?
Patrick: I do think that part of the story was about bringing my experiences in Japan and my experiences in the UK together, I think there are similarities in the cultures that are interesting to look at. There are differences, but that was part of the story. I was very lucky that I lived and studied and worked in Tokyo and in Nishinomiya [Hyogo Prefecture] and studied and lived there, in a different world. And I wish more people would go to Kansai, it’s a whole part of Japan that people don’t seem to [go to]. I was filming many years ago outside of Kyoto, in the countryside, and it was just astonishingly beautiful in the forests outside of Kyoto. Part of the story for me was about showing Tokyo and London, and the Japanese countryside and the British countryside.
Do you have any memorable moments of the filming process?
Patrick: The thing that always astonished me, maybe even more now, is just anywhere you eat an item of food in Japan, it’s always somehow amazing. I mean sometimes you get a bad bit here or there but for example, we had a chef for the meals in Japan, and everything was amazing. On the last day, there was special chirashi sushi bento. When people come and visit, it’s not about going to all the fancy restaurants in Tokyo. I lived as a student in Nishinomiya and just the local okonomiyaki place - when I went to Hiroshima, the oyster’s size was unbelievable, almost cat sized!
The film focuses on family, remembrance, and reflection - are there any places in Japan or England that you fondly remember as part of family or personal trips?
Patrick: I used to go to northern England, parts of the countryside there, like the Lake District, and that was very amazing to me. I remember years later, when I was going to parts of Japan like Koyasan or Nikko and finding that same [feeling], it’s obviously much steeper, this amazing Japanese countryside, so I think it was very much that kind of countryside. We used to go a lot to the seaside in Cornwall, and then I remember going to Kamakura, going out of the town, and going to the sea. Japan has the most amazing coastline, and I’m always surprised that people aren’t swimming more.
Lily: For childhood travel memories, I honestly don’t have any. Going on overseas trips was usually something that people who were more well off did. If you were living in Kyushu and able to go to Hokkaido for a trip, that was definitely more luxurious. For me, travel was more like going to see relatives. It wasn’t very far travel wise, but if we went over, we would stay the night. It was less than 2 hours by train but still in Kyushu.
Many thanks to both Lily Franky and Patrick Dickinson. COTTONTAIL is out now, make sure to see it in a cinema near you!
