Based on an enduring romance novel by acclaimed novelist Kawakami Mieko, which has sold over 400,000 copies, the film is directed by Sode Yukiko, whose previous film, Aristocrats (2021), was widely acclaimed in Japan and abroad. Starring Kishii Yukino, Asano Tadanobu, and Morita Misato, the film was selected for Un Certain Regard at this year's Cannes and praised for its refined visual style. Fuyuko, a freelance proofreader, unexpectedly meets Mitsutsuka, a high school physics teacher, and confronts feelings she has never experienced before. A profound romance capturing the heart's smallest ripples.
Sode Yukiko's first feature, Mime Mime (2008), won the Runner-Up Prize and Entertainment Award at the Pia Film Festival. Good Stripes (2015) won the Gold Prize at the Shindo Kaneto Awards and Best Emerging Director at the TAMA Film Awards. Aristocrats (2021) was selected for the International Film Festival Rotterdam and won Best Film at the TAMA Film Awards. She is currently based in Kanazawa.
From Tokyo International Film Festival 2026, No. 39
