Tall, bearded, bald and craggily handsome, Tetsuya Nakashima stands out in a crowd.
Backstage at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills, following the Japan premiere of "Kiraware Matsuko no Issho (Memories of Matsuko)," he also dominated an interview with The Japan Times. Not just reciting talking points, but rattling off answers with passion, clarity and nervous intensity.
His view of his troubled heroine was certainly clear enough: "I wanted to show that Matsuko's life had value, no matter what it looked like on the surface," he began. "That she was able to influence those who came after her, more than if she had lived a normal, happy existence."