Hyde Park Pick: Kokuho
This week's pick is that rare thing, a film that captures some of the very particular magic of live theatre.
Wendy Cook
Beginning in 1964, Nagasaki, 14-year-old Kikuo loses his father, the head of a yakuza gang, and is taken under the wing of a legendary Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, Kikuo immerses himself in Kabuki—the highly stylised form of Japanese theatre known for its elaborate costumes, dramatic makeup, and powerful, expressive performances.
Kokuho follows the two men over the next few decades as they rise from acting school to the grandest stages, facing scandal, betrayal, and the intoxicating lure of glory. In the twists and turns of the story, the film nods to the hierarchical challenges of both the theatre world but also wider Japanese society of the time. Reflecting the weight of familial history, a burden that can enable some to thrive and force others to drown.
There’s a lot in the film about the pursuit of excellence, and what that does to individuals and also those who love them… or try to. Here we have shades of other great films which follow the story of great men with big dreams. This isn’t The Godfather, but it’s also got elements of that type of grand story.
These big cinematic arcs to the narrative are no doubt part of why the film has broken multiple box office records in Japan as well as winning tremendous critical acclaim.
However, none of these things are why I really enjoyed watching Kokuho. The real pleasure of it for me was the glimpse it provided into a world, or more specifically an art form, that I really didn’t know or appreciate with any great depth before going into the film.
There will be many documentaries that speak to the history of Kabuki theatre, the facts of it and specific skills that make a great performance. Kokuho goes some way to capture the feeling of it, the magic and the beauty of it. That’s such a special thing to be able to distil down into film and such a pleasure to experience, not as a replacement for the real thing, but a way into it.
If you would like to do a deep dive into other films which straddle the worlds of cinema and theatre or live performance, here are five of my favourites in no particular order:
1. Les Enfants du paradis (Dir. Marcel Carné, 1945)
2. La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (Dir. Frederick Wiseman, 2009)
3. Sentimental Value (Dir. Joachim Trier, 2025)
4. Opening Night (Dir. John Cassavetes, 1977)
5. Drive My Car (Dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021)
N/B. A special mention to The Muppets (Dir. James Bobin, 2011), which captured the very special magic of theatre and the Muppets in one superb film.
Kokuho is showing at HPPH from Fri 08 May. Book tickets here.
