Two broken boys, one boxing ring, zero punches pulled — this coming-of-age hits harder than any fight.
Kenji stutters and suffers from interpersonal blushing. After his mother's death, he lives with his violent father, but cannot stand it, so he takes a live-in job at a barbershop to get out of the house. On the other hand, Shinji's father committed suicide when he was young, his mother abandoned him and he grew up with a wild personality. The two, who may or may not have similarities, meet by chance and are trained by Horiguchi, a former boxer, to become professional boxers. A coming-of-age story about love, loneliness and facing oneself.
Acting
Matsumoto's stutter — physically painful, utterly transformative.
Direction
Ninagawa's theatrical roots bleed into every bruised frame.
Cinematography
Neon-drenched loneliness; Tokyo as purgatory.
Director
Yukio Ninagawa
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ninagawa died months after this premiered; it became his cinematic farewell after decades in theater.
Based on Teru Miyamoto's 1975 novel — a defining text of postwar Japanese masculine identity, adapted twice before.
JP
