Nagasaki, 1964: Following the death of his Yakuza father, 15-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wings of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this traditional form of theatre. For decades, the two young men grow and evolve together – and one will become the greatest Japanese master of the art of Kabuki.
Acting
Ryo Yoshizawa's eyes do three acts of dialogue without blinking.
Costume
Onnagata transformation sequences that'll ruin drag race for you.
Direction
Sang-il Lee makes 174 minutes feel like holding your breath.
Director
Sang-il Lee
Ryo Yoshizawa
Kikuo Tachibana
Ryusei Yokohama
Shunsuke Ogaki
Mitsuki Takahata
Harue Fukuda
Shinobu Terajima
Sachiko Ogaki
Soya Kurokawa
Kikuo (young)
Keitatsu Koshiyama
Shunsuke (young)
Min Tanaka
Mangiku Onogawa
Ken Watanabe
Hanjiro Hanai
Nana Mori
Akiko
Takahiro Miura
Takeno
Ai Mikami
Fujikoma
Masatoshi Nagase
Gongoro Tachibana
Kyūsaku Shimada
Umeki
Emma Miyazawa
Matsu Tachibana
Kumi Takiuchi
Ayano (adult)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Sang-il Lee spent two years researching onnagata training; both leads underwent six months of movement coaching before filming.
The film's Nagasaki setting deliberately echoes the city's history of hidden Christians and secret identities — Kikuo's hidden self mirrors this legacy.
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