都会に暮らす人たちには、実感しにくいことかも知れないが、恋愛や結婚が遠い世界の話でしかない男たちが日本の農村には少なからず存在する。農家の長男に生まれたというただそれだけの理由で、結婚をあきらめる男たち。現在の農村の最大の悩みは嫁が来ないこと、それによって引き起こされる後継者不足。そのため日本の農業は窮地に追い込まれ、近い将来、国内で食物を作る人間がいなくなってしまう恐れすらある。それはとりもなおさず食糧自給の壊滅を意味するのだが、「恋するトマト」の主人公、野田正男は、こうしたわが国の農村の危機を一身に体現した存在である。40才を越えていまだ独身、それでもお見合いを重ねて必死に結婚へとあがいている。
そうした社会的なテーマを背景に覗かせながら、物語はラブロマンスという映画が最も輝く道をひた走る。遠い異国の地・フィリピンで、運命に導かれるように出会う正男とクリスティナの恋は、ふたりに共通する作物を育んでいく喜び、大地へのいつくしみ、太陽や水への感謝の気持ちなどと相乗しながら瑞々しく育まれていく。

正男を演じる大地康雄が素晴らしい。大地は、この「恋するトマト」においては、主演俳優であるにとどまらず、企画、脚本、製作総指揮と一人四役を演じている。大地の情熱がこの映画を作らせたと言って過言ではない。今から10年以上前の平成3年、友人に誘われフィリピンを訪れた大地は、貧しくも明るく前向きなたくさんの人々と出会い、いつかこの国で映画を撮りたいと夢想する。その後、作家の小檜山博、結婚して日本に暮らすフィリピン人女性・クリスティナ、茨城の農家の人たち……様々な人たちとの出会いによって、映画製作の構想はだんだんに具体的な輪郭を見せ始める。原作を小檜山氏に依頼し、その原作をもとに自ら脚本を執筆し、監督をベテラン南部英夫に委ね映画製作全体を主導する。この映画作りへの情熱がスクリーンにそのまま大地演ずる野田正男を輝かせている。
正男が恋するクリスティナを演じるアリス・ディクソンも素晴らしい。フィリピンのトップ女優で、包み込むような優しさとあたたかさ、輝くような笑顔、豊穣な肢体が印象的。誰もが恋したくなるオーラを放っている。そして、富田靖子、村田雄浩、藤岡弘、ルビー・モレノなど脇を固める実力俳優たちも素晴らしい、スクリーンに、登場人物たちの、そして演じる俳優たちの生命が、鼓動が脈打っている。

フィリピンに渡っての結婚式。だが、正男を待っていたのは結婚詐欺の辛すぎる現実だった。農協に借金をして持参した結納金をだまし取られ、リバティは消える。生きる気力をなくした正男は浮浪者のようにマニラの街をさまよう。そんな正男を助けてくれたのは日本人の中田（清水?治）だった。フィリピン女性を日本に送り込むブローカーである中田のもとで働き始めた正男は、だんだんとやくざの体質に変貌してゆく。

そんなある日、正男は仕事で通りかかったラグーナの村の風景に驚かされる。大きな湖の周囲に広がる農村地帯。それは、霞ヶ浦周辺に広がる美しい故郷の風景に酷似していた。そして黄金色の稲穂が風になびく田園、稲刈りに励む人々。その中心にいたのは何度かレストランで見かけたことのある美しい女性、クリスティナ（アリス・ディクソン）だった。父親が病気で働けないことを知った正男は、収穫を手伝い始める。土に触れることで、正男は農家に育った男の血が騒ぎ始める。そして芽生えるクリスティナへの想い。正男はクリスティナの家計の助けにと、フィリピンでは困難とされた日本の大玉トマトの栽培に挑戦を始める……。

ENGLISH
Precious are soil, water and the sun……and you.
A love story relating to soil in Asia

LOVE TOMATO　
Japanese reading（Koi-suru Tomato)　
Phillipine reading(Kumain ka na ba ?)

Cultivate with more loving care,
grow and bear more.
An Asian-nature love story fostered by soil, water and the sun.

INTRODUCTION

Masao NODA, a 45-years-old single man, lives with his old parents in the country near Kasumigaura swamp area, where he is engaged in cultivating farms. He is tender and honest, but has been declined by women whom he met for matchmaking. Today, he was declined again by Keiko who is attracted by country life. He decides to go to Philippines with engagement money so that he may marry Liberty who is working at a Philippine pub.
A middle-aged Japanese man, who once lost hopes for his future life due to harsh realities of a farm life, happens to meet and falls in love with a beautiful Philippine woman who is lively working in the rich nature of Philippines. He is refreshed and encouraged by his love with her.
Yasuo DAICHI planned, produced, wrote and played the leading role in the film. Heroine was played by Alice DIXSON, one of the most famous Philippine actresses, and supporting actors were Yasuko TOMITA, Takehiro MURATA, Ruby MORENO, Hiroshi FUJIOKA and others.
He planned this film for thirteen years. The main subject of the film is his most concerned matter on the Japanese agriculture, that is, a difficult situation that only a few women are married into farm family these days. It causes lack of successors of farm families, and there will be no farmer engaged in agriculture in Japan in the near future. It means a total destruction of self-supply system of foods in Japan. He also wanted to make an entertainment film of a love story with this theme to be enjoyed by adult viewers.
“LOVE TOMATO” well depicts an adult love which can only be fostered under “HUMAN POWERS” which belong to farmers who cultivate the nature and enjoy life in the nature, and “FARMERS’ SPIRITS (or “JAPSNESE or ASIAN SPIRITSﾓ). This is a human paean of Asian-nature love story fostered by soil, water and the sun.

STORY

Masao NODA (Yasuo DAICHI), a 45 years-old eldest son of a farm family, is very filial to his old parents, tender and honest, while he is so awkward and clumsy that he cannot get married yet. He had many matchmaking chances, but was never successful. He has failed again in the most hopeful chance with Keiko (Yasuko TOMITA) who is attracted by country life. Seeing his repeated failures, Yusaku (Hiroshi FUJIOKA), one of his friends, introduces to him Liberty(Ruby MORENO), a Philippine woman who is working at a Philippine pub. They start to keep company with each other for marriage, and pushed hard by Liberty , Masao decides to marry her.
They go to Philippines for a wedding ceremony, However, what waits for him there is a harsh reality of marriage swindle. He is swindled the engagement money which he borrowed from the Agricultural Association, and Liberty disappears. He loses all hopes and wanders in Manila like a bum. He is saved by Nakata (Koji SHIMIZU), who is a broker engaged in sending Philippine women to Japan. While working for Nakata, he is gradually involved in dark business of gangsters.
One day, he is much impressed by a beautiful scenery of a village in Laguna where he visits on business. He sees farm fields spreading around a large lake, which resemble his beautiful home town near Kasumigaura swamp area. Philippine farmers are working in golden ears of rice plants. Among them, he sees Christina (Alice DIXSON), a beautiful woman whom he sometimes saw in a restaurant. He is told by her that her father cannot work due to illness, and he starts to assist her harvest. Touching soils, his farmer’s sprits awake, and he falls in love with Christina. To help her family’s life, he challenges cultivation of the Japanese large tomato plants, which is believed to be difficult in Philippines.

YASUO DAICHI’S STATEMENT

It is not only I who likes to perform in a film having an important social theme which can be enjoyed as an entertainment film for further generations. As known well, ruined farm fields are increasing in many areas of Japan. 13 years ago, I had hearings with single eldest sons of farm families in Ibaraki Prefecture through introduction of my acquaintance. It was very hard to let them speak of their frank thoughts on their problems. After I visited them many times and got together for drink, they finally opened their heavy mouths slowly. They were declined in matchmaking many times, and among them, a man of middle 40s failed 28 times. This fact seriously hurt them and caused them to have a inferiority complex, and no hope or confidence for their future life. They sadly said that their parents were too old to work further, so they will have to stop farming in the near future due to lack of workers. I was much shocked with their shouts in their mind and situation clumsily mentioned by those cornered farmers. They wondered why they could not marry just because they were born in farm family, and why they could have no hope for future life while they were engaged in the most important work of producing foods. They all had human power which is the most important for living, and they were clumsy in speaking but gentle, tender and honest as well as attractive in my own view. Deep sorrow and depression of the farmers who are serious in living and working – that was what I wanted to perform and depict in a film. I wanted to make a film of human paean which could encourage them. However, I had difficulties in gathering funds, production and distribution of this film. Frankly speaking, I almost gave it up several times, but at every time their shouts encouraged me to work out the project.

●If they have no successors, rate of self-supply of foods might be 0% from the current 40% in the near future. If there are no farmers to produce foods, how would Japan be? Is it ok if there is no agriculture in Japan as a result of putting weight on development of manufacturing industry?
●Human population in the world is increasing. When something serious happens in the future, each country first protects their own people. Even if Japan pays much money, no country will sell foods to Japan.
●Farmers may protect themselves as they have farms where they could produce their own foods. How could people in the town do?
●Now Japan has a flood of foods, and people dispose a lot of foods everyday. They will be surely punished by Heaven in the future.

The most important factor of film is entertainment. I would be happy and grateful if as many people in the world as possible, especially young people, would enjoy this film, understand the current serious situation of the Japanese agriculture and the fact that there are many “Masao” throughout Japan, and think of the world now under serious environmental and cultural destruction.

PROFILES

Yasuo DAICHI (Planner, Script writer, Executive producer and leading actor):
He is one of the most appraised unique actors in Japan and has great enthusiasm for films. “LOVE TOMATO” was the first film planned by himself, for which he also wrote the script, produced and played the leading role.
He was born in 1951 in Kumamoto Prefecture. When he was working as an accompanying staff for Yunosuke ITO .In 1979, he debuted for movies in “Impulse Murder” directed by Keisuke KINOSHITA. He was selected for the leading role of a criminal, Gunji KAWAMATA, in a TV drama “FUKAGAWA TORIMA SATSUJIN JIKEN (A MURDER CASE OF A STREET KILLER IN FUKAGAWA)” directed by Koji CHINO in 1983 and his aggressive performance therein was highly appraised. Thereafter, he regularly played an important role in Juzo ITAMI’s films including “A Taxing Woman” in 1987. He appeared in many films of which latest one is “THE SAMURAI I LOVED” directed by Mitsuo KUROTO in 2005. His performance is so appraised that he has given many awards including the Best Supporting Actor Award of the Mainichi Film Contest, the Best Supporting Actor Ward of the Kumamoto Film Festival, the Best Supporting Actor Award of the Japan Academy Awards, the Best Actor Award of the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, Personal Award of TV Galaxy Awards, and many others.

Hideo NANBU (Director):
Born in 1939 in Fukui Prefecture. He joined Shochiku Ofuna Studio in 1965. While he worked as an assistant director for films directed by Yoichi MAEDA and Nariyuki YAMANE, he wrote may scripts. In 1976, he made his debut as director on “AI TO MAKOTO KANKETSUHEN (AI AND MAKOTO – FINAL CHAPTER)”. In 1979, he wrote for “Heaven Sent” directed by Yoichi MAEDA. In 1988, he became a freelance director and thereafter wrote and directed many films and TV dramas.

STAFF & CAST

Masao NODA= Yasuo DAICHI (THE SAMURAI I LOVED)
Christina = Alice DIXSON (SAMBAHIN ANG NGALAN MO)
Keiko = Yasuko TOMITA (KITCHEN)
Kazuo= Takehiro MURATA (GOIDZILLA 2000 MILLENIUM)
Liverty = Ruby MORENO (ALL UNDER THE MOON)
Masao’s father = Junkichi ORIMOTO
Nakata = Koji SHIMIZU
Yusaku = Hiroshi FUJIOKA (SHINOBI: Hearts Under Blade)

Planner, Script Writer, Executive Producer = Yasuo DAICHI
Original Story = Hiroshi KOHIYAMA (“SQUALL”)
Director = Hideo NANBU
Producers = Kii MATSUMOTO, Yoshio MATSUDA, Kazuo KOSAKA, Yasuyuki IIDA
Line Producer = Toishihiko URYU
Production Coordinator = Kuniaki KOMORI
Director of Photography = Shigeru KOMATSUBARA
Lighting director = Akitoshi MIYOSHI
Art Director = Nobuaki NISHIMURA
Recording Director = Makio IKE
Editor = Naoki KANEKO
Music = Tetsuo TERADA
Scripter = Chiyo MIYAKOSHI
Assistant Director = Noriyuki YAMASAKI
Production Coordinator = Fuminori NEZU
Production = “Have you eaten” PRODUCTION COMMITTEE (Ocean co.,Ltd, Radish Bo-ya Co.,Ltd, IMAGICA Corp., Todo Press Inc., MPata Internatiomal Inc.)
Production Cooperation = Reona Co., Ltd.
Cooepration = HOTEL DE MIKUNI
Support = Cultural Agency
Cooperation for location shootings = Ibaragi Film Commission, Kasumigaura City, Sakuragawa City, Tsukuba City, Hitachi City, Daigo City

2005 / Japan / 35mm / Color / American Vista (1:1.85) / DTS STEREO / 126 minutes / © “Have you eaten” PRODUCTION COMMITTEE

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