The NEOWN editorial staff introduces new films that you should "see now".
We have selected four films, ranging from the most talked-about to the most noteworthy that we are interested in.

After the Quake."
Open to the public from Friday, October 3, 2025

Director: Tsuyoshi Inoue
Based on Haruki Murakami's "All God's Children Dance" (Shincho Bunko)

Cast: Masaki Okada, Yui Narumi, Daichi Watanabe, Koichi Sato, Ai Hashimoto, Erika Karada, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Koyo Kurosaki, Souya Kurokawa, Kanji Tsuda, Haruka Igawa, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Non Non, Ryo Nishikido, Shinichi Tsutsumi, etc.

Distributor: Bitters End

©2025 Chiaroscuro / NHK / NHK Enterprises, Inc.

Official site:https://www.bitters.co.jp/ATQ/

■STORY
In 1995, Komura hears a mysterious story about a UFO in Kushiro, which he visits in his broken heart after his wife disappears.
In 2011, Junko is a runaway girl who interacts with a man whose hobby is bonfires.
In the year 2020, Zenya is raised as a "child of God" and questions the existence of his absent father.
In the year 2025, Katagiri is a security guard who lives in a manga cafe and continues to pick up trash in Tokyo.

Thirty years have passed since the world changed drastically, and when Mimizukun, who has been eating people's sorrows and misfortunes, begins to stir in the ground again, "Kaeru-kun" returns to the present day to save the human race.

Based on Haruki Murakami's short story collection "All God's Children Dance," the film depicts the emotional turmoil of people dealing with loneliness and loss as memories and the present quietly echo each other. Directed by Inoue Tsuyoshi ("Sono Machi Kodomo"), script by Oe Takamasa, music by Otomo Yoshihide. The cast includes Masaki Okada, Yui Narumi, Daichi Watanabe, and Koichi Sato, as well as Ai Hashimoto, Shinichi Tsutsumi, and Ryo Nishikido, all of whom have a strong presence. The film examines the "human heart" that lies on the other side of reality in the midst of magic realism. In this age of seeking answers and correct answers, the film quietly poses questions, leaving a blank space that cannot be fully grasped.

Saturn Bowling."
Opens to the public on Saturday, October 4, 2025

Director: Patricia Mazzi

Cast: Arieh Waldarte , Asil Regiani , Y. Lan Lucas , Leila Muse and others

Distributor: SENLIS FILMS

© Ex Nihilo - Les Films du fleuve - 2021

Official site:https://senlisfilms.jp/saturnbowling/

■STORY
While Armand wanders the streets in search of a place to sleep, his estranged half-brother Guillaume shows up to tell him of his father's death. Their father was the owner of a bowling alley, Saturn Bowling, and a hunter. Guillaume, who works as a police officer, leaves the bowling alley, which he inherited as a legacy, to Armand, who has neither a job nor a house. However, Armand, who harbors anger toward his father for abandoning him out of wedlock, is constantly getting into trouble with the management, which is unmanageable. One day, a series of murders targeting young women occur around the brothers. As Guillaume pursues the case, he enters a spiral of unfathomable violence.

A neo-noir suspense film that director Patricia Mazzi says "depicts a tragedy anyway. Guillaume (Aryeh Waltorte), the elder brother, takes over the bowling alley bequeathed by their father, and Armand (Assir Regiani), the younger brother, continues to roam. What is supposed to be a place of entertainment turns into a symbol of the "negative legacy" passed down from father to son, and the brothers' friction and a series of murders targeting women eerily intersect. Borrowing from traditional suspense, the film exposes the modern structures of violence, such as toxic masculinity, family breakdown, and femicide. Although it is a genre film, it has the sharpness of a contemporary social critique.

The "Lookout Generation."
Open to the public from Friday, October 10, 2025

Director: Yuga Danzuka

Cast: Kiyo Kurosaki, Kenichi Endo, Haruka Igawa, Asao Kiryu, Akiko Kikuchi, Aoi Nakamura, Shingo Nakayama, Mutsuo Yoshioka, Jun Sosui, Jyusaki Hattori, Riko Ishida, Rintaro Arao and others

Distributor: Siglo

©︎2025 Siglo/Repro Entertainment

Official site:https://miharashisedai.com/

■STORY
A young man, Ren, works as a delivery driver of orchids in Shibuya, Tokyo, which is undergoing redevelopment. One day, while making a delivery, he meets his father for the first time in several years. He tells his sister, Emi, about it, but she seems unconcerned and quietly prepares for her own wedding. Since the loss of their mother, the siblings and father have been estranged. Ren, who has spent his days in agony, tries once again to measure the distance between his family. As he gazes at the ever-changing cityscape, the family's last night together begins...

Against the backdrop of Shibuya's redevelopment, this is a story about lost time and family distance. Directed and written by 26-year-old up-and-coming director DANZUKA Yuga. The film was selected for the Directors' Fortnight at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival, where it garnered much attention. Ren, a young man who has lost his mother and estranged from his father, is played by Kurosaki Koyo, his father by Endo Kenichi, his sister by Ki Ryu Masei, and his mother by Igawa Haruka. The combination of the changing Shibuya and the family reunion evokes deep emotions in the audience. After watching the film, as you walk through the streets of Shibuya, fragments of the film will come back to you, and you will want to replay your own memories as well. This is a "Shibuya film" of the new generation that quietly illuminates the memories of the city and family, and opens the door to a new way of looking at things.

Meet the World."
Open to the public from Friday, October 24, 2025

Director: Daigo Matsui

Based on Hitomi Kanehara's "Meets the World" (published by Shueisha Bunko)

Cast: Hana Sugisaki, Kotona Minami, Li Mitsuhito Itagaki, Kuruma (Roman 2021), Chihiro Kato, Mitsusa Wada, Yuko Ando, Yuichiro Nakayama, Kanta Sato, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Mariko Tsutsui, Yu Aoi, etc.

Distributor: Rock Works

(c)Hitomi Kanehara/Shueisha, "Meets the World" Film Partners

Official site:https://mtwmovie.com/

■STORY
Yukari is a 27-year-old who is obsessed with anthropomorphic yakiniku manga but does not like herself. As her friends leave her for marriage and childbirth, she begins a marriage search out of anxiety about continuing to live on her hobbies and work alone, but fails, and begins sharing a room with Rai, a cabaret girl she met in Kabukicho. He begins sharing a room with Rai, a cabaret girl he meets in Kabukicho. He eventually finds comfort in the bustling life of the town, interacting with Asahi, the No. 1 host, Yuki, a tongue-tied writer, and Osin, the master of a bar that is a fixture in the town. However, Yukari is concerned about Rai, who is suffering from a rare death wish, and takes action to help her face her past.

Adapted from a novel by Hitomi Kanehara, this film depicts the subtleties of encounters and relationships between people in Kabukicho. Directed by Daigo Matsui, whose works include "Kurenazume" and "Just a Little Reminder. The main character, Yukari, is played by Hana Sugisaki, and a diverse cast including Kotona Minami, Li Mitsuhito Itagaki, Yu Aoi, and Kiyohiko Shibukawa adds depth to the story. Yukari's daily life is gradually changed by encounters, including her shared life with cabaret girl Rai. The lights and shadows of the glittering city are punctuated by the pain and warmth of being involved with someone else. The loneliness and hope that is captured in this film quietly resonates with the audience's own "now.

We introduced four recommended films released in October.
Next month, we will continue to bring you inspiring and interesting films. Please look forward to it!
text: yabesaya

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