A richly layered period mystery adapted from the award-winning novel by Sayako Nagai, recipient of both the Naoki Prize and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize. The film unfolds in Edo-era Japan, where a young kabuki actor’s celebrated act of revenge becomes the subject of rumor, performance, and deception.
A year and a half after the widely witnessed vendetta, a provincial samurai arrives at the Moritaza theatre seeking the truth behind the incident. As he gathers testimony from those connected to the young avenger, the heroic legend begins to unravel, revealing hidden motives and long-buried secrets beneath its elegant surface.
A huge critical and commercial success, this atmospheric jidaigeki detective tale blends theatricality, suspense, and emotional depth, exploring how stories are shaped, embellished, and ultimately transformed into myth.
Takashi Minamoto
Tasuku Emoto, Ken Watanabe, Kento Nagao, Kazuki Kitamura, Yasushi Seto, Kenichi Takito
Japan
2026
In Japanese with English subtitles
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Credits
Producer
Gen Nakazawa, Junpei Horiguchi
Screenwriter
Takashi Minamoto
Cinematography
Yoshito Asakura
Editor
Keiji Koizumi
Original Music
Umitaro Abe
Vancouver Japanese Film Festival
Experience the best in contemporary Japanese cinema with films spanning historical jidaigeki and samurai films, contemporary dramas, comedies, literary adaptations, documentaries, children’s films, and art-house fare.