At the end of the Edo period in Kyoto, during a stormy night a samurai prepares to fight against an opposing clan member, when a flash of lighting hits and he wakes up to find himself in a different time. He has been transported through time to the present day and the location where he was about to duel is now a film set for jidaigeki TV shows and movies. Still in his samurai clothes he is mistaken for an extra and immediately thrust into the world of jidaigeki productions. Due to his very ‘authentic’ look and speech, he starts working on many productions and finds himself playing the role of a “kirareyaku”, a swordsman whose job is to die spectacularly on film.

I wanted to explore what it means to be “authentic” in a world where tradition and modernity constantly collide. Through the story of a samurai who slips through time into a present-day film set, I aimed to reflect on the fading spirit of the jidaigeki genre and the people who quietly sustain it — the nameless extras, the ones who always die on screen. This film is both a comedy and a requiem for those who keep creating with sincerity, even when the world no longer notices.

2024 제28회 판타지아국제영화제
2025 제48회 일본아카데미상 최우수작품상