Kokuho

This decades-spanning drama, about the life of a Kabuki artist, has become Japan’s most successful live-action film.

  • Director

    Sang-il Lee

  • With

    Ryô Yoshizawa, Ryûsei Yokohama, Mitsuki Takahata, Sachiko Ogaki

  • Japan 2025. 175min

  • Digital

  • Certificate

    15

  • A Vue Lumiere release

  • English subtitles

What toll does art exact on a life? It's a question that runs through this large-scale portrait of Kikuo Tachibana, the son of a Yakuza boss who, following his father's murder, trains under a kabuki actor and rises through the ranks to become the star performer of his generation. Far from a rags to riches story, this drama details how fame, adulation and commitment to art can transform an individual. Covering 50 years in Japan's history, Sang-il Lee's sumptuous epic is a must-see on the UK's largest screen.

Tickets on sale Tue 12 May from 12:00 to BFI Members and on general sale from 16:00