JFF: Kokuho

15A175 min

Aspiring teenage actor Kikuo Tachibana’s life is turned upside down when his yakuza father is killed in a raid by a rival gang. Initially hungry for revenge, Kikuo sets down a different path when he is taken under the wing of iconic kabuki actor Hanai Hanj iro II as an apprentice. Together with Hanai’s own son Shunsuke, Kikuo begins the rigorous, gruelling training to become an onnagata (a male kabuki actor who plays female characters). Kikuo and Shunsuke become inseparable, but over the years their fates di verge and their friendship is severely tested as they each navigate the cutthroat world of elite kabuki theatre.

The highest - grossing Japanese live action film of all time and winner of 10 Japanese Academy Film Prizes (including Best Film), Kokuho is an e pic drama about friendship, love and the often punishing cost of fame and ambition. It also offers a fascinating insight into the world of kabuki theatre, including impeccably staged performance scenes that demand to be seen on the big screen.

Japanese with English subtitles