Kokuho

Winner of 10 Japanese Academy Awards and the highest-grossing live action film in the country’s history, Lee Sang-il’s (Pachinko, Villain, Hula Girls) astounding Kokuho is a cultural phenomenon. 

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 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.

A film of awe-inspiring scope and sumptuous beauty, investigating a fascinating and exacting art form, Kokuho is a vivid monument to the artists who sacrificed everything in pursuit of the ultimate performance.

“Intoxicating” ★★★★ Little White Lies