“The Youth Killer” vividly deals with a wavering feeling of a main character who has killed his parents. Director Hasegawa was 30 years old when he shot this film. Yutaka Mizutani (who played a main character) was 24 years old, and Mieko Harada (who played a girlfriend of the main character) was 17 years old. “I feel as if I shot this film just a little while ago. I never feel that I have changed after nearly 40 years passed from the shooting. I feel Yutaka Mizutani as if he had never changed, and I also feel Mieko Harada as if she had never changed although she has become a mother in her real life. ”

Director Hasegawa also talked about the serious theme of this film, “parricide”, which theme is also shared in today’s society, “All people grow up through killing his/her parents in their hearts. In other words, they kill their parents of complex.” He talked about his feeling for a main character of “East of Eden”, and a relationship with his father.

Regarding a scene in which the main character wrestles (sumo) with his father in the film, director Hasegawa revealed that he reflected his experience in the main character, saying “I also wrestled with my father. Wrestling was communication for us.”