Kabuki theatre is a mystifying art form that developed during the Edo period in 17th century Japan. It is a highly stylized form of performance art that is accompanied by a live orchestra and sees the elaborately adorned actors, portraying tales of historical significance or stories of romance through dance and drama. All Kabuki actors are male, but there is a unique class of performer that specializes in female roles, known as onnagata. Kabuki has since even gained UNESCO status, as the art form is officially recognized as an intangible cultural heritage.
Kokuko is a Japanese word that translates to “National Treasure”. And is fittingly the title of director Lee Sang-il’s powerhouse 2025 historical drama. Which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival to overwhelming praise from critics and audiences alike.
Kokuho spans over 50 years and chronicles the incredible life of one Kikuo Tachibana, (Sōya Kurokawa, Ryo Yoshizawa) a boy born into a yakuza crime family in 1960s Nagasaki, Japan. After a vicious attack and witnessing the brutal murder of his father, Kikuo turns to a legendary kabuki actor, Hanjiro Hanai (portrayed by the legendary Ken Watanabe), who takes the boy under his wing. Thus begins Kikuo’s ruthless and seemingly endless training to devote his life to becoming a renowned and respected onnagata. And he wants to be great, or nothing at all.
Kikuo is trained alongside Hanai’s own son, Shunsuke Ogaki (Keitatsu Koshiyama, Ryusei Yokohama). And over the course of their lives the two performers form a lifelong bond of brotherhood. Marked by pain, loss, betrayal and rivalry. The eventual men struggle with the balance of navigating their own relationship with one another, with the gruelling dedication it takes to be one of the greats of their otherworldly craft.
Kokuho is a vast behemoth of a film, sitting at just under a 3-hour runtime. And tackles the feat of reciting a tale that spans decades and ultimately, entire lifetimes with a semblance of ease. Despite possessing this colossal tale to work with, Lee Sang-il’s directing is precise and deliberate. He carefully crafts what could be a dizzying and dragging chronicle, and concentrates on the minute details of the story and performances. Which ultimately —and gloriously —makes Kokuho feel tangible and accessible, rather than congested, confusing, or oversaturated.
Kokuho’s performances are one of the strongest and most impressive elements of the sprawling historical drama. As the actors not only had to perfect their roles, but their character’s roles as traditionally trained kabuki actors as well. Adding on an entire layer of impressive feats. Kurokawa and Koshiyama portray the teen versions of Kikuo and Shunsuke, respectively, with a level of dedication and determined vigor that is addictive to witness. As the boys form a deep bond with one another while dedicating their youth to their art.
Then Yoshizawa and Yokohama take over, portraying the two as adult men whose friendship may have evolved into a rivalry, but their obsession with perfection hasn’t waned. It’s electric to watch these actors perform kabuki. Embodying a complete sort of mastery and control that is so utterly astonishing to witness, it feels like spectating a primal pull back to the origins of art and human storytelling itself.
Kokuho’s sound design is grand in its own right. With the subtle scrape of a shoe on wood floor or rustle of adorned fabric heightened to a level of importance equal to that of the dialogue itself. Silence within Kokuho does not signify the absence of something, rather, the stillness itself is its own living, breathing presence. Cinematographer Sofian El Fani amplifies everything, from the captivating performances to Yohei Taneda’s detailed art direction and the intricate costumes of Kumiko Ogawa with his masterful camerawork.
There are echoes of Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan present throughout Kokuho’s running themes and tone. Namely in the way it portrays how the artist reckons with their own art, and the psychological torture and hysteria-laden discipline those will endure in order to commit to their craft or passion with their full mind and body. The film tackles themes of brotherhood and betrayal, dedication and sacrifice, as well as the importance of carrying on tradition and the juxtaposition of inheriting versus earning legacy.
Kokuho demands patience from its viewers as its pacing can be testing at times. But is as rewarding a saga as one could immerse themselves in, especially on this grand a scale. One of the most visually gorgeous and emotionally stirring films in recent years. Lee Sang-il’s Kokuho is a cinematic epic that transcends art and time, securing itself as a monumental miracle that is nothing short of a modern masterpiece.
