Yuri, an architect, goes to visit Yoriko, the older sister of her ex-husband. Yoriko works as a sculptor, and asks Yuri to become the model for her next project. In other words, former sisters-in-law share a home and create art together. Into this comes Yoshihiro, a single father who married the friend Yoriko once loved from afar. Having revealed in earlier works like Harmonium (2016) and Love Life (2022) that ‘family’ is in fact something so riddled with cracks that it could fall apart at any moment, Fukada Koji’s new film goes further still, exploring relationships that cannot be defined under the name of ‘family’ at all. And so, subtle relationships and subtle incidents unfold one after another. Amid lyrical landscapes, tranquil walks, and contemplative words, Nagi Notes reveals the precious truth that absence and loneliness are, in fact, fundamental conditions of life. This is a quiet reckoning none of us can evade in life.
Fukada Koji was born in Tokyo in 1980. He studied film directing at the Tokyo Film School. After making his feature debut with The Chair (2004), he directed Hospitalité (2010), Au revoir l′été (2013), and Harmonium (2016), winning the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival for Harmonium. His major directorial works include A Girl Missing (2019), which was screened in international competition at the Locarno Film Festival; Love Life (2022), which was presented in competition at the Venice Film Festival; and Love on Trial (2025), which was invited to the Cannes Premiere section at the Cannes Film Festival.
From Busan International Film Festival 2026, No. 31
