‘Kokuho’ Trailer – A Young Boy Comes of Age in World of Kabuki in Sang-il Lee’s Epic Drama

Kokuho, directed by filmmaker Sang-il Lee, is a drama based on a novel by Shuichi Yoshida. The film follows a young boy named Kikuo, played by Ryo Yoshizawa. After Kikuo’s father, a yakuza boss, is killed before his eyes, Kikuo is taken in by a renowned kabuki actor and is trained in the art of kabuki.

Also starring alongside Yoshizawa is Ryusei Yokohama.

The film had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, then later screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival, TIFF, and had its theatrical release in Japan back in June. It has been selected as Japan’s Oscar entry for the 2026 Academy Awards.

GKids will release the film in US theaters starting in Los Angeles, CA on November 14, 2025 at AMC Universal Citywalk Hollywood, then in New York, NY on November 21, 2025 at Angelika Film Center before expanding nationwide.

Set in postwar Nagasaki, the drama follows Kikuo’s transformation from an orphaned outsider into a celebrated performer striving to make a name for himself in the world of kabuki. His master takes him in and raises him alongside his own son, Shunsuke. As the boys grow older, their brotherly bond transforms into a fierce artistic rivalry, each striving for perfection and their mentor’s approval.

Spanning several decades, the story explores the discipline, beauty, and cost of traditional art. Through lavish performances and intimate backstage moments, Kokuho reveals the tension between legacy and individuality, bloodline and talent.

According to TIFF, “Visually sumptuous and emotionally piercing, Lee’s three-hour opus is neither boring nor didactic. It’s a meditation on inheritance and choice, tradition and reinvention, and the pursuit of artistic greatness — an epic told on an intimate, human scale.”

In an interview, the director states, “Simply presenting a beautiful cinematographic adaptation of on-stage kabuki wasn’t enough – I wanted to really explore the depths of what is going on behind the scenes while they’re on stage – their feelings, their process.”

Watch the trailer for Kokuho above.