Many Japanese filmmakers talk about wanting to work abroad and dozens have done it, but the number of Japanese master directors who have made great films with only foreign actors in overseas locations trends toward zero.
Thus, Hirokazu Kore-eda, winner of the Cannes Palme d'Or last year for his dark family drama, "Shoplifters," not only stepped out of his professional comfort zone but also challenged a local industry jinx by making "The Truth," a drama shot in France with an international cast and not a word of dialogue in Japanese.
The film, about the clash between an elderly actress (Catherine Deneuve) and her scriptwriter daughter (Juliette Binoche) over the former's largely fabricated memoir, opened this year's Venice Film Festival, where years earlier Kore-eda had his first international triumph with his 1995 feature debut, "Maborosi." "The Truth" later screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, North America's largest and most important showcase for new films.