Ken Watanabe and Lee Sang-il on ‘Kokuho,’ the Kabuki Gamble That Became Japan’s Top Live-Action Film and an Oscars Contender: ‘This Film Is About Pursuing Beauty’

A nearly three-hour film about Kabuki was never supposed to be a box office juggernaut, but “ Kokuho ” has defied expectations to become Japan’s top live-action hit - and an Oscars international feature shortlister. Directed by Lee Sang-il and starring Ken Watanabe , the drama centers on Kabuki, a traditional art form long viewed as commercially challenging, yet has struck a deep chord with Japanese audiences while also gaining traction overseas. Set initially in 1964 Nagasaki, the film follows 14-year-old Kikuo (Ryō Yoshizawa) who, after his yakuza father’s death, finds himself taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor Hanjiro (Watanabe). Alongside the actor’s son Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama), Kikuo dedicates himself to the centuries-old theatrical tradition, with their relationship evolving through decades of performances - from acting school to prestigious stages - against a backdrop of scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals. Popular on Variety Lee says the recognition carries weight well beyond awards momentum. “This is a film that deals with traditional Japanese performing arts - Kabuki - and it’s also a work that has received enormous support from Japanese audiences,” he says. “For a film like this to reach the Oscars shortlist is something that feels deeply meaningful, not only for Japanese cinema but for Japanese audiences as well.” Watanabe expresses surprise at how widely the film has connected. “This is not a samurai film, and it’s not a geisha film,” he says. “Kabuki itself can be difficult even for Japanese people to fully understand. So the fact that a film centered on Kabuki has been accepted as Japanese culture by audiences around the world is something that genuinely surprised me, and it’s a great joy.” Neither Lee nor Watanabe anticipated the scale of the film’s local success . Kabuki, Lee notes, is no longer a mass-attendance art form in Japan. “We couldn’t have predicted this response,” he says. “But somewhere within Japanese audiences there is a latent understanding that this is an important cultural tradition. The film managed to connect with that.” Crucially, Lee stresses that the appeal goes beyond Kabuki itself. “It’s not only a story about kabuki,” he says. “It’s about people who devote their entire lives to an art form. That kind of life - pursuing something at great personal cost - is something audiences can connect with.” Watanabe echoes that sentiment, describing the film as a story of artistic commitment. “It’s about artists giving everything to their art,” he says. “Life can be harsh, but within that harshness there is beauty. I think people who feel uncertainty or anxiety about the future can recognize something in characters who commit themselves fully to one thing.” Lee also points to the film’s visual approach as central to its reach, citing the cinematography, staging and production design. “We pursued beauty in every element - the cinematography, the art department, the makeup,” he says. “But also the way of life itself - sacrificing everything to aim higher and higher - is both cruel and beautiful....

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