The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026: The Real You (12)
Details of the event: Original title: 本心 (Honshin)
Dir. ISHII Yuya, Japan, 2024, 122 mins. In Japanese with English subtitles. Cast. IKEMATSU Sosuke, MIYOSHI Ayaka, TSUMABUKI Satoshi, TANAKA Yuko.
In the near future, ISHIKAWA Sakuya (IKEMATSU Sosuke) receives a phone call from his mother, Akiko (TANAKA Yuko), who wants to tell him something important — but before they can meet, he witnesses her drowning in a river. One year later, after waking from a coma, Sakuya discovers that his mother participated in a government-approved “elective death” programme.
Confused and desperate to learn his mother’s final message, Sakuya meets NOZAKI Masato (TSUMABUKI Satoshi), a developer of Virtual Figures (VF) — AI recreations of the dead built from harvested data and accessed through VR goggles. He also approaches MIYOSHI Ayaka (MIYOSHI Ayaka), supposedly his mother’s friend, to collect more information. Soon, the VF is complete. As the three begin an unusual cohabitation, his mother’s digital image gradually reveals a side of her that Sakuya had never known existed…
Adapted from HIRANO Keiichiro’s novel of the same name, this film by director ISHII Yuya (The Moon, JFTFP25) tackles urgent social issues — from the use of advanced technologies to assisted dying — while confronting audiences with the question of what we might feel when we finally learn the truth about others.
Content guidance: Contains mild violence.
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026
Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self in Japanese Cinema
Season Pass: Get a discount (each ticket for £7.50) when you book tickets for the 4 films in the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme at the same time.
Silence of the Sea – Thursday 5 March, 6pm
The Real You – Thursday 12 March, 8.30pm
Strangers in Kyoto – Thursday 19 March, 6pm
Blue Boy Trial – Thursday 26 March, 8.30pm
The UK’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP), is back again. This is the place where cinema comes alive!
Knowing others — let alone ourselves — is not easy, as we behave differently depending on the relationship, environment, or even intention. In an age of advanced digital technology, where imagery can be readily manipulated, it is even harder to define who we, or others, truly are. This notion of identifying the self has been repeatedly explored in cinematic narratives in various ways. However, is it really possible to know our true selves? And if so, would such revelations lead to happiness and freedom, or might they instead bring disastrous and harsh consequences? With these questions in mind, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 showcases some of the most unmissable Japanese films nationwide across the UK. From powerful social crime dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies to gender-defining films, fantasy, and horror, the programme offers something for everyone.
Location: Plymouth Arts Cinema
Event's page / Booking page link: https://plymouthartscinema.org/whats-on/jftfp26-the-real-you-12/