CANNES – Kōji Fukada’s latest film, “Nagi Notes,” is a fascinating flower, but perhaps not for the reasons the filmmaker intended. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. A world premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, this contemporary Japanese drama centers on the relationships between two vaguely thirtysomething women and two middle school-age boys. Two pairings that find a common connection in the most unexpected of circumstances. It’s the context of their attractions and the contradictions Fukada delicately presents that eventually beguile the viewer, even if his restrained aesthetic may test your patience getting there.
Set in the small village of Nagi, in western Japan, Fukada’s story begins with Yuri (Shizuka Ishibashi), a Tokyo architect visiting an old friend she hasn’t seen in years, Yoriko (Takako Matsu), the aforementioned sister “by marriage.” Yoriko lives a mostly quiet life on a dairy farm and makeshift artist studio in the countryside. An area so remote that Yuri jokes getting to a foreign country would be faster. Yorkio spends most of her time sculpting, sometimes lifesize, sometimes not, wood portraits of different people she’s encountered in her life. She also teaches art classes, and two of her younger students, Keita (Kiyora Fujiwara) and Haruki (Waku Kawaguchi), become fascinated by her new visitor. It appears that few residents of the big city make their way to Nagi that often.
Despite the remoteness of her new surroundings, Yuri learns there are unexpected gems in this faraway land, such as a legitimate Museum of Modern Art, cows that comically escape their stalls, and endless picturesque hiking trails. And of course, Yoriko’s life’s work, a collection of sculptures, seen by few, that captivates her. When the opportunity arises to stay a few days longer to model for Yorkio, she ultimately takes it. This allows her more time to bond with the boys, who, we soon learn, will need the guidance of their Tokyo visitor sooner rather than later.
At first, the stakes across the board are almost serenely inconsequential. That is, until Keita reveals his father, a military contractor at the nearby base, is being transferred. This spurs him to share his feelings with Haruki for the first time, and the film’s first real conflict unfolds. Will the boys’ two fathers accept two gay (or bisexual) sons? Will the boys give them a chance to? For a society that is still socially conservative outside of major urban areas (especially regarding LGBTQ+ issues), this is akin to a major life crisis. At least in Keita and Haruki’s hearts, it is.
Meanwhile, Yorkio is frustrated. Until she truly sees a subject in her head, she can’t sculpt them to her liking. And despite their years of familiarity, she realises she truly does not know Yuri. And, to be fair, Yuri realizes she may not know herself either. But maybe there is something between them that Yuri had never considered.
When Keita and Haruki present their plan to stay together to Yoriko and Yuri, they get more realistic pushback than they expect. And when Keita reveals the pair are going to run away, get jobs, and save up so they can go to Taiwan to get legally married, Fukada has more on his mind than just a sweet, melodramatic, teenage romance. Not with the omnipresent gunfire and cannon tests coming from the nearby base, sporadically interrupting Nagi’s inherently tranquil lifestyle. And that’s what begins to differentiate “Nagi Notes” from other contemporary dramas in this genre.
Even in the most peaceful settings, the threat of war is everywhere, and Japan is not exempt from it. Change is coming. Well, change is here. It’s in threats far beyond the mountains and a younger generation willing to risk it all for love (yes, a thematic cliché on the surface, but appropriate), and their elders who need to adapt or risk losing them. It’s a change that, as Yuri’s journey demonstrates, may require an era of self-reflection. Or an openness that wasn’t there before. And in his own way, Fukada is asking the viewer or his native audience in Japan to do the same. This is an intricate needle for any filmmaker to thread. Especially for a narrative so intentionally subtle that every choice, every word resonates tenfold (and, frankly, the somewhat mannered performances make this puzzle even more difficult to pull off). But it’s those contrasts that ultimately make “Nagi Notes” a commendable endeavor. If you’re patient enough to see them fall into place, that is.
Almost unexpectedly, the film ends on a euphoric note, a hopeful image for the future. One that is almost jarring, considering the events that preceded it. And yet, when Yuri yells, “Go! Go!” Fukada and his actors have sparked enough emotion, enough compassion, that you might want to yell it right along with her. [B-]
Look for complete coverage from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on The Playlist.
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