Happyend (M)

Best friends Yuta and Kou are about to graduate high school in a near-future Tokyo where the threat of a catastrophic earthquake pervades daily life. One night, they pull a prank on their principal, which leads to a surveillance system being installed in their school. Stuck between the oppressive security system and a darkening national political situation, the two respond in contrasting ways, leading them to confront differences they never had to face before.

The first narrative feature from Neo Sora (director of Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus), Happyend pulses with colour, music and the vivid textures of Tokyo. In this coming-of-age drama, the lives of tomorrow’s teens are captured with a luminous and heartfelt clarity.

Cast: Shina Peng, Makiko Watanabe, Ayumu Nakajima

Director: Neo Sora

★★★★★ "a fantastic film that blends a heartfelt coming-of-age drama with striking social commentary" IMPULSE GRAMER

★★★★½ "A thoughtful, shrewd examination of the impact of rapidly developing technologies." EYE FOR FILM

★★★★ "Happyend strikes a remarkable balance between social satire and adolescent drama, finding points of alignment between the humour of everyday teen life and the absurdity of the bureaucracies that shape it" LITTLE WHITE LIES

★★★★ "It’s a very stylish, thoughtful, heartfelt movie in which regular teen heartbreak might be quite as important as any political commentary." GUARDIAN