Naoko Watanabe directs film based on Junichi Watanabe novel

Actors Katsuya Maiguma and Riria Kojima, alongside actress Yo Yoshida and director Naoko Watanabe, attended the completion announcement event for the film ‘Tsuki ga Miteiru’ (The Moon is Watching) in Tokyo.

The film is an adaptation of the novel ‘Chateau Rouge’ by the late Junichi Watanabe, directed by his daughter, Naoko Watanabe. The story explores themes of love, sexuality, and the complexities of a marriage through a female perspective. The plot follows an elite doctor, played by Maiguma, who attempts to confine his wife, played by Kojima, to an old castle for ‘sexual lessons.’

Approximately 70 percent of the filming took place in France, utilizing authentic historic castles to capture a specific aesthetic. Director Watanabe noted her intention to use ‘living castles’—locations where people still reside—rather than abandoned structures to provide a sense of life to the setting.