Ryo Yoshizawa, Ryusei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinobu Terajima
Nagasaki, 1964. After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, 14-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wing of a famous kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, Kikuo decides to dedicate himself to this most traditional form of theatre. Across decades, the two young men grow, struggle and evolve together – from acting school to the grandest stages – amid scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals, as each strives to become the greatest living kabuki master.
Lee Sang-il’s (Pachinko, Villain, Hula Girls) Kokuho (‘national treasure’) is a film of awe-inspiring scope and sumptuous beauty that explores the pursuit of perfection in an incredibly physical and exacting art form. A cultural phenomenon in Japan, where it’s become the highest grossing live action film in the country’s history, Kokuho is a vivid monument to the artists who would sacrifice everything in the pursuit of the ultimate performance.
