@celeste_writes
A patient, formally daring work — the cinematography lingers on empty rooms longer than most audiences will tolerate, but those who stay are rewarded with the most haunting final act of the year.
Beauty
Set in a small Nagano village in the 1930s, the film follows Hanji, a young boy captivated by a local kabuki performance. Inspired by Yukio, Hanji learns kabuki with Utako. As they grow, they become skilled actors, performing in a final kabuki before World War II. After the war, Hanji returns to revive kabuki and restore the community’s spirit. In the 1980s, as he nears death, the villagers organise a final performance in his honour, where he performs “Tenryu Koishibuki” for Yukio.
Quick Stats
0.0
TMDB Rating
0
Votes
1h 49m
Runtime
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Budget
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Return
Key Crew
DirectorToshio Goto
WriterRyūnosuke Ono
CinematographyHiroshi Iwabuchi
ComposerReijirō Koroku
Where to Watch
No streaming information available for Beauty yet.
Critics & Reviews
3 featured@jhalberg
I walked in expecting another genre exercise and walked out feeling like I'd been eavesdropping on a confession. The lead performance is genuinely singular — a career-defining turn.
@priya_a
A few too many scenes feel borrowed from a better film, but the soundtrack and the production design carry the rest. Solid recommendation for fans of slow-burn European thrillers.
Cast
Takatarô Kataoka
Ogura Hanji
Ainosuke Kataoka
Yukio Katsuragi
Kumiko Aso
Utako Higashiura
N
Noritoshi Kashima
Masao Kinoshita
Hidekazu Mashima
Asae Oonishi
Hisashi Igawa
Satoshi Nikaido
Makoto Akatsuka
Kazuyoshi Kushida
Kazuo Kitamura
Takao Kataoka
