Masahiro Ota | 01:39:59 | Japan
Japanese
Shinichi Someda, a promising young independent film director, has been arrested.
His former college theatre friends reunite after years apart to write a petition on his behalf.
Among them are Chiho (Sachiko Matsushita), who once had complicated feelings for Someda but recently married another man; Takano (Tappei Aono), a struggling actor who was supposed to play the lead in Someda’s latest project; and Ryota (Tatsuma Gotou), a self-proclaimed “closest confidant” of Someda.
They all want to help Someda, but their well-meaning reunion soon gives way to growing tensions and emotional confrontation.
This is, in essence, a talk-action or dialogue-action film, where the rhythm and force of spoken words mirror the tension and impact of physical conflict.
It draws its power from verbal collisions and the unspoken silences in between, inviting the audience into a quiet yet gripping emotional battlefield.
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Two Versions Exist:
☆ International Version (Current Submission)
Significantly re-edited from the original Japanese version.
Runtime: 99 minutes
Completed: January 15, 2025
■ Festivals & Screening History
Madrid International Film Festival 2025
(World Premiere: October 16, 2025)
Location: Margate, United Kingdom
Winner – Best Editing of a Foreign Language Film
Dhaka International Film Festival 2026
(Asian Premiere: January 10–18, 2026)
Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Official Selection – Cinema of the World Section
Berlin Film Fest International 2025
&Milan Film Fest International 2025
(Screening: December 10, 2025)
Co-hosted in Margate, United Kingdom
Official Selection – Nominated in 6 categories each
Liberty International Movie Festival 2025
(Award Ceremony: November 22, 2025)
Location: Dogok, Seoul, South Korea
Winner – Best Actress (Sachiko Matsushita)
Awarded without screening
Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival 2025
Semi-Finalist
☆ Japanese Version (Previous)
Runtime: 110 minutes
Japanese Title: エス (no English title)
Completed: January 1, 2024
■ Screening History (Japan only):
Uplink Kichijoji, Tokyo – 2-week run (January 2024)
Theater Seven, Osaka – 1-week run (July 2024)
International Status: Never screened outside Japan; never submitted to international festivals.
☆ Important Notes:
The two versions are substantially different due to extensive re-editing.
The International Version is a completely new cut, distinct from the Japanese theatrical release.
Cast
Sachiko Matsushita
Tappei Aono
Tatsuma Gotou
Koujirou Abe
Yumi Mukai
Mei Hashimoto
Ayano Oami
Sachiyo Tsujikawa
Tappei Sakaguchi
Yuka Awaji
Gamon Kaai
Writer
Masahiro Ota
Producer
Takuji Uehara
Theme Songs
Ezo Mexicans
Director of Photography
Takashi Haga
Production Company
Uehara Shouten
