Mai, a member of a J-pop idol group, sings of love on the stage she has always dreamed of. In return, fans buy albums, cheer on her, and fervently express their love. Fandom culture is a vast contemporary fantasy built on the mutual exchange of love. After an unexpected reunion with Kei, whom she had known before her debut, Mai falls in love. Her agency, citing the ‘No dating’ clause stated in her contract, takes her to court. For an idol, the love of fans and personal romantic love form a mutually exclusive dilemma. Confronting the double standards embedded in the idol industry, Mai steps down from the stage and begins to speak for herself in the courtroom. Fukada Koji’s latest film Love on Trial delicately gazes at the calm yet resilient face of a woman who stands up to the shadows within the cultural industry.
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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 2025, No. 30
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