144. Interview with Kiyoshi Kurosawa: The Samurai and the Prisoner (2026)

The *Deep Cut* team reaches a major milestone as Ben and Eli interview *Deep Cut* canon director Kiyoshi Kurosawa! The Japanese auteur generously answers questions about his latest film, *The Samurai and the Prisoner*: how does Chiyoho in this film link to Akiko in *Cloud*? Are the comedic moments intentional? And Eli finally gets to ask his most burning Kurosawa question: WHY ALL THE PLASTIC SHEETS? Special thank you to Ryanne Gordon, Benkei Golden, and Amaka Nwokocha from Divergent PR and translator, filmmaker, and artist Monika Uchiyama for making this episode possible. Get trapped in our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com  **Timestamps:** 00:00 Intro 03:18 Interview begins 04:13 Social structures and Murashige 05:47 Chiyoho in a man’s world 07:33 Plastic sheet 09:41 Long takes and blocking 12:47 Cinematic influences 15:18 Comedic aspects 17:02 Closing thoughts