Fresh off its successful run in Japan, where it grossed over $100M to become the second-highest-grossing live-action film at the domestic box office, Kokuho is poised to enchant American audiences. Award-winning producer and distributor GKIDS is bringing the Kabuki-filled drama to Los Angeles and New York City for a one-week engagement before its wide release, allowing viewers to get an early look at Japan’s official entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
The film is directed by Sang-il Lee, who is perhaps best known to American audiences for his work on Pachinko season 2. It stars popular Kamen Rider actor Ryo Yoshizawa (who transformed himself through 18 months of Kabuki training for the role) as Kikuo, an actor in pursuit of artistic greatness.
Kokuho is set in 1964 Nagasaki, where young Kikuo is raised by a Kabuki actor (played by the great Ken Watanabe) after the death of his father. He and the actor’s son Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama, who recently starred in the Japanese adaptation of Nevertheless) inspire one another to succeed in the traditional craft over decades.
As seen in the trailer above, Kikuo comes from a controversial background, as his father was a Yakuza gang leader, meaning the battle to the top of the theater scene is a particularly uphill one. Despite recriminations, however, Watanabe’s Hanjiro is determined to raise Kikuo alongside his son and thus challenge the latter even more.
The unusual arrangement forges an unbreakable bond between the boys, but also creates resentments that lead to betrayals and suffering in their search for glory. Through it all, the love of beauty, theater, and performance infuses the film with a grandeur unlike any other.
Kokuho has received critical acclaim throughout its festival run, first debuting at Cannes in Directors’ Fortnight before being chosen for the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, and even Los Angeles’ own AFI Fest. Now GKIDS, which previously won Best Animated Feature with Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron in 2024, is looking to bring the beauty of Kabuki to U.S. theaters.
Tickets are on sale now for Kokuho‘s one-week special engagements at AMC Universal CityWalk Hollywood in Los Angeles starting November 14, and at Angelika Film Center in New York starting November 21.