come fixated on rising cases of Alzheimer's and dementia among the country's rapidly aging population.



 I thought it might be interesting if I could somehow put these things together - a really vicious cop who suddenly develops dementia and, through losing his memory, becomes very innocent and pure,  he says.  There would be a lot of comedy, but in some ways, it could also feel like an escape from his old self. In his blank-slate state, he might behave in a way that's actually closer to who he really is and what he really feels. 



For all its comedy of errors and extreme, random circumstance, the story hinges on a desire for authenticity and escape that Sabu believes is universal.

 Arrested Memory'

 In our daily lives, we all feel pressure from so many different things - work, family, and so on. At some point, you can start to feel that you are no longer really yourself,  he says.  If, through certain unexpected events, you get rid of those things, maybe you would then become more truthful to yourself. I wouldn't necessarily say that you become happy, but you could feel reborn - almost like you have entered a new state, like coming out of a cocoon and becoming who you really are again. That was very much what I was thinking when I wrote the film. 



Sabu says he also felt some unexpected affinity with his protagonist while on set in Taiwan - his first time working in a production environment outside Japan.



 I've been making films for more than 30 years, and when I work in Japan there is a certain easy, relaxed feeling - but maybe it had become too relaxed. Everyone understands exactly what I'm asking for, and that can get a little boring,  he explains.



 This time,  he adds,  I was the only Japanese person on the set. I came there alone and was working with people from a different language and culture. I felt a little lost, and it made me nervous. I had to stay on my toes at all times and constantly work hard to communicate across those differences - but in a good way. Making this film woke me up, and I was invigorated.