Tacoma-based artist and filmmaker Masahiro Sugano is internationally acclaimed for his revolutionary approach to filmmaking. Among his many award-winning films are Second Moon (2006) and Cambodian Son (2014). His other exhibitions, films, and videos have also been widely featured around the world.
If Hafez Wrote a Haiku for Cowboys is Sugano’s newest feature film that he completed in June 2024. Filmed in Japan, the U.S., and Iran, it delves into the private lives of ordinary people through a one-of-a-kind viewing experience. Sugano, widely known for having an expert eye for aesthetic excellence and innovation, captures stunning views of ordinary people, places, and things throughout the film. From buildings, graffiti art, scenes from nature, and street signs, he meticulously attends to subtle multisensory details, including colors, movements, sounds, and textures.
Sugano shared the overarching purpose of this film, which he described as one of his proudest works to date: “It mostly tells common stories of the mundane that most young people, no matter where they come from, find relatable. For instance, the panicked feeling of losing your iPhone, running late, or needing to borrow money quickly.”
If Hafez artfully represents the mundane. Each scene depicts diverse people engaged in a range of everyday activities, including arguing with a loved one, enjoying a cultural festival, riding the train, walking, and so forth. There are also more serious scenes that many viewers will relate to, including explaining divorce to a child or the threat of losing one’s job.
Sugano described the film’s labor-intensive production details from start to finish, which started in December 2018. He experienced production delays during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but was able to wrap up in August 2021. By far, the most challenging part of the post-production process was editing 16 to 20 vignettes that included 30 characters. Sugano described the finished film as “like a long poem.”
If Hafez was in part inspired by Wayne Wang’s groundbreaking film Chan is Missing (1982). The main characters in Sugano’s film are, as he explained, “Looking for something specific that they lost. But they end up not finding what they were originally looking for. Or they find something else.” He also likened the film to “Ozu with ADHD,” in which viewers will see two screens simultaneously, each showing randomization and time shifts. The technique was inspired by the late Yasujiro Ozu, who remains widely regarded as one of the world’s most iconic filmmakers. Ozu’s film aesthetics present a shared sense of space and time through the depiction of slow-moving, mundane events. Indeed, the viewing experience is like being in a perpetual dream-like state, engaging both the conscious and subconscious minds in multiple mental dances.
Sugano offered the following insight when reflecting on the impact he wanted this film to have on its viewers: “If you really think about it, humans are basically 99.9% the same. However, we hear more about our differences in ways that distract from our shared experiences.”
Identity is part of but not central to each character’s development and personality. The actors all played some versions of their real-life selves. During filming, Sugano asked the actors to speak in their native languages and did not have anything translated until the final editing phase, which, he noted, “Kept everything about this film authentic and interesting, even for me.” The bilingual and translated conversations in the film are unique for focusing on several common types of everyday human communication across cultural contexts, including conflict, gossip, introspection, and unsolicited advice. Yet equally powerful was how the film captures the complexities of each character’s emotions through micro-expressions and silence or what was left unsaid.
The film also offers viewers with deep philosophical insights into the nature of the human experience in a more digitally interconnected and diverse world. Themes of assimilation versus cultural preservation, classic wonderings about human versus nature, and the contrast between modernity versus tradition especially caught my attention. Yet, each dialogue and scene is carefully curated to prevent viewers from falling into the trap of common types of binary thinking, such as the idea that humans cannot peacefully coexist with nature.
During recent private screenings, viewers from diverse backgrounds, especially younger generations, described viewing the film as a liberating experience. They did not feel pressured to analyze each character or memorize a plotline. They just enjoyed being present to enjoy each scene, immersing themselves in a dynamic multisensory experience.
If Hafez is a dynamic, eclectic, and riveting film that offers viewers a rare opportunity to pause and reflect. Indeed, we all get caught up in the mundane to the point where we may lose sight of connections, opportunities, or the value of just being more present in life. This film will help more of us realize that in an increasingly politicized world that at times seems more chaotic and divided than ever, humans across the world have much in common. As well, while humans are flawed, a key takeaway after viewing Sugano’s masterpiece is how the human experience is beautiful, fragile, messy, precious, and unpredictable.
Sugano is still seeking a distributor to support his film’s debut. To learn more and to view the trailer, visit: https://filmfreeway.com/IfHafezWroteaHaikuforCowboys
Rachel Endo is an award-winning educator, leader, and scholar who is currently based in the Tacoma area. She was born and raised in Nebraska and hails from a multi-generational Nikkei family. A first-generation college student, she graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with honors, where she also earned her MA in Education and MPA in Public Management . She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To learn more, including how to contact her directly, visit her website at: www.rachelendo.com
