KOHEI KADOWAKI | JAPAN | 2026 | 117 MIN | JAPANESE
Kohei Kadowaki’s feature directorial debut traces a beautiful friendship that blossoms between two schoolboys, and the moment of betrayal that shatters it, sending the consequences rippling across the rest of their lives.
In a quiet Japanese town, two young boys forge a bond that quickly becomes the center of their universe, tying them together through the strange, tender, and sometimes difficult process of growing up. The thrill of youth creates a heartwarming dynamic between them, as childhood mischief deepens their reverence for each other and allows them the safety of a world where they are inseparable. That is, until an incident alters the course of their friendship, leaving an imprint that continues to shape both lives as childhood yields to young adulthood. As time passes, memories return with new weight, revealing how childhood moments linger, mutate, and inevitably become entangled with the stories people tell about who they became. Director Kohei Kadowaki’s hand-drawn and rotoscoped animation style renders this heartbreaking tale with dreamlike intensity, elevating familiar streets, classrooms, and skies into something closer to memory than observation. Premiering in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes, Kadowaki’s coming-of-age wonder weighs friendship, isolation, and belonging, and the lasting gravity of moments that mold a person long after they fade.
Cast:Â Ryota Bando, Amane Okayama, Ten Yamasaki, Kemuri Matsui
Ticket holders must arrive at the theater at least 15 minutes before the scheduled start time.
Seating after the start time is not guaranteed. All sales are final.
For more information on PFF35 policies and venue information – How to Fest Page or PFF35 Code of Conduct.
Return back to the PFF35 film schedule.