The start of February is a wonderful time for Japanese pop culture fans in Bangkok, Thailand — regularly a chance to immerse themselves in some of the best Japan has to offer and meet idols from various scenes, through events such as JAMNIME Festival, Japan Expo Thailand, and the Japanese Film Festival. This year, one of the most anticipated activities was the first overseas screening of Silent Love, which also featured a meet and greet with stars Ryosuke Yamada and Minami Hamabe and Director Eiji Uchida.  

The movie tells the love story of Aoi (Yamada), a young man who has become unable to speak following a tragic incident in his past, and Mika (Hamabe), an aspiring pianist who gets into an accident that causes her to temporarily lose sight. For his role, Yamada, who aside from being a seasoned actor is a member of popular J-pop idol group Hey! Say! JUMP, had to fully shed his sparkly image and transform into a character whose existence has been mired with grief and hopelessness. Aside from only being able to express Aoi’s feelings in nonverbal ways, Yamada also spoke about the unique challenge of performing fight scenes without using his voice, explaining how even when he got hit, he had to be careful not to let out a noise.¹

Fans from neighbouring countries also didn’t let this opportunity pass, with many flying over from places such as Singapore and Indonesia and joining local fans for the two screenings on 3 February at Siam Pavalai at Paragon Cineplex. We attended the second screening, and the session was a lively occasion filled with interesting insights from the guests and good-natured fun all around. 

During the Q&A, Yamada shared his fond feelings for Thailand, having visited the country several times in the past for work and leisure, and particularly his love for pad thai. When asked about what food he would recommend to those visiting Japan, he suggested unagi and joked about being interested in trying Thai unagi. (“From the Chao Phraya River?” Director Uchida urged further, against which Thai fans frantically cautioned them.)

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ryosuke Yamada (@ryosuke_yamada059)

In an exclusive message sent through Bandwagon, Yamada talks more about what the experience has meant to him:

To all my fans in Thailand,

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have gone to Bangkok and been a part of the premiere screening of Silent Love. It is a beautiful film led by an incredible director, and I was so happy to share it with local audiences. 

Beyond the film itself, the enthusiasm and love felt as soon as I got to the airport from fans of Hey! Say! JUMP made me proud to be a part of a group that has earned such even beyond our home country. I remember how disappointed we were at being unable to come to Bangkok more than 10 years ago during our Asian tour, so I was excited for a ‘revenge’ visit of my own. 

I sincerely hope that everyone who attended the screening enjoyed the film, and that it sparks even more interest in Japanese movies overseas!”

Silent Love is now screening in theatres in Japan and Thailand. The film has also reportedly been picked up by distributors in South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. 

¹ Erratum: An earlier version of this article attributed a paraphrase of Yamada's answer during the Q&A as a direct quote. We apologise for the misstep.