Synopsis

The world of Kabuki, the elaborately stylised, male Japanese theatrical tradition, is the setting for director Lee Sang-il’s epic melodrama of artistic ambition, rivalry and betrayal. It is an adaptation of a bestseller by Shuichi Yoshida, and weaves in stunning stagings of classic Kabuki tales that wowed audiences at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. In 1960s Nagasaki, after the death of his yakuza father, gifted teenager Kikuo (Ryo Yoshizawa) is taken under the wing of famed Kabuki actor Hanjiro Hanai (Ken Watanabe), even though the great performer already has a son, Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama), who has dedicated his life to the art. Over fifty years, the relationship of the two disciples entwines and twists, and their hearts suffer as much yearning, glory and downfall as their on-stage alter-egos.