Welcome to the second and last trailer post of the week.
You can find part one here.
Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) came to a close on Sunday and it had I Am Kirishima (2025) as its closing film, so I published a review of that. I also published a review of Flat Girls (2025). Further OAFF reviews will be published from tomorrow.
What are the rest of this week’s films?
Yume ni ikiru 
夢に生きる 「Yume ni ikiru」
Release Date: March 28th, 2025
Duration: 112 mins.
Director: Yuki Ishida
Writer: Yuki Ishida (Screenplay),
Starring: Hinata Todo, Yu Miyazawa, Akane So, Shiho Nakahara, Takashi Hayashida,
Website Twitter: @ikiru_yumeni
Yuki Ishida, a video creator who has established a reputation for CMs and shorts on TikTok, makes a feature film debut with a youth movie about aspiring musicians.
Synopsis: Shinji and Akira both aspired to become musicians in high school but Akira gave up after getting a job and enduring the daily grind while Shinji remained committed to the dream and performs live. Akira is inspired to chase his dream again while Shinji must confront reality…
Ushiro kara toruna haiyuu Orimoto Junkichi no jinsei 
うしろから撮るな 俳優織本順吉の人生 「Ushiro kara toruna haiyuu Orimoto Junkichi no jinsei」
Release Date: March 29th, 2025
Duration: 82 mins.
Director: Yumi Nakamura
Writer: N/A
Starring: Junkichi Orimoto, Noriko Nakamura
Website Twitter: @toruna_movie
Synopsis: This is a documentary of veteran actor Junkichi Oromoto (Wikipedia) and his final years before he passed away in 2019 at the age of 92. It was directed by Yumi Nakamura, his daughter. For a man who appeared in 2000 TV dramas and films, the greatest drama lay at home as it seems he was estranged from his family. Out of a desire for revenge, Nakamura recorded her ailing father over the last four years of his life as he grew weaker.
Kodokuna yoru ga akeru made 
孤独な夜が明けるまで 「Kodokuna yoru ga akeru made」
Release Date: March 29th, 2025
Duration: 105 mins.
Director: Yuto Aoki, Kohei Takayama, Yuya Matsuta,
Writer: Yuto Aoki, Kohei Takayama, Yuya Matsuta, (Screenplay),
Starring: Saya Imajo, Minami Saeki, Hideki Nagai, Harumi Yamano, Yasuyuki Sakurai,
Website Twitter: @kodoake2025
Kohei Takayama is the only name that I recognise since I watched his film The Path Leading to Love (2017) at OAFF and interviewed him in person.
Synopsis: This is an omnibus film about people who struggle to live in modern society and feel trapped. The stories include how people can live in an age where SNS overflows with misinformation, a 13-minute nonstop one-cut depiction of an actor’s unscripted actions on a stage that are broadcast online, and the lives of people who live together but are solitary and self-absorbed.
Shonen 
少年 「Shonen」
Release Date: March 29th, 2025
Duration: 180 mins.
Director: Yuuji Dan
Writer: Yuuji Dan (Screenplay),
Starring: Katsuya Kobayashi, Mariko Tsutsui, Aimi Nakamura, Maiko Tomeoku, Sachio Itami, Soko Wada, Seijun Suzuki,
Website Twitter: @shonen_yujidan
This coming-of-age film is the feature debut of Yuji Dan, who was a teacher at a vocational school. It is set in Tokyo in 2000, a year after the Flag and National Anthem Law came into effect, and concerns working-class youngsters, a lonely boy in particular, and tries to depict the life of a person who struggles to fit into society. It was shot in 1999 and finally completed in 2024, 25 years later.
The film features Mariko Tsutsui (Ripples), Junkichi Orimoto (subject of a documentary released this weekend) and director Seijun Suzuki. It is strongly influenced by American New Cinema, ATG, and other 70s youth films.
Synopsis: Jun, a 16-year-old high school student, is dealing with his parent’s disintegrating marriage, an ailing grandfather haunted by World War II, leftists and far-right crazies, and authoritarian teachers. His only outlet is the music of Myu, a charismatic singer who is the same age as him. When he is accused of political action for not standing up for the national flag and anthem at a graduation ceremony immediately following the passage of the National Flag and Anthem Act, his life begins to spin out of control. Soon after, Jun’s encounter with Nozomi, a young girl who is forced into prostitution by her father, and the resonance it stirs in him, pushes him to the edge of his life and Jun, who has been struggling at the mercy of these various people, goes berserk and decides to carry out a plan on the day of Myu’s live concert…
Bold as You 
ボールド アズ、君。 「Bo-rudo azu, kimi.」
Release Date: March 29th, 2025
Duration: 82 mins.
Director: Takashi Okamoto
Writer: Takashi Okamoto (Screenplay),
Starring: Kaori Ijuin, Mariko Kodo, Okaki, Keiko Shimokyo, Kanji Tsuda,
Website Twitter: @kokokoromovie
This is the second directorial work by music video director Takashi Okamoto, following Discords High (2022), and is based on his own experience.
Synopsis: Tama struggles at socialising and feels more at home in a mini-theatre and watching her favourite rock band. After acquiring a used guitar, Tama practices a lot and becomes so good that she has wins a guitar battle. This is when her life begins to change as she encounters the lead vocalist of her favourite band and she learns that the mini-theatre will be closing at the same time as their concert.