Oscar nominee – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

KOKUHO – Review by Diane Carson

February 17, 2026 Diane Carson japanese films, kabuki, Ken Watanabe, Kokuho, Marihiko Hara, Oscar nominee, Ryo Yoshizawa, Sang-il Lee, Satoko Okudera, Shuichi Yoshida, Sofian El Fani, yakuza

Of the artists the Japanese most revere, Kabuki actors rank high on the list. This knowledge informs and underscores the heightened personal and profound cultural crises in director Lee Sang-il’s Kokuho, translated as Living National Treasure, (Ningen Kokuho), referring both to Kabuki theater and Kabuki masters. As prescribed by the custom of honoring direct bloodline legacy, a Kabuki actor bequeaths his exalted position to his heir. That entitled person is Shunsuke Ōgaki, son of celebrated Kabuki actor Hanai Hanjiro II. However, after witnessing the violent yakuza murder of Kikuo Tachibana’s father by a rival gang and later observing a magnificent onnagata performance (a male playing a female role) by Kikuo, Hanjiro II adopts Kikuo who proves to be a disciplined, devoted Kabuki student. Talent will oppose and contest tradition.

Reviews

KOKUHO – Review by Sarah Ward

December 16, 2025December 19, 2025 Sarah Ward japanese films, kabuki, Kokuho, Marihiko Hara, Oscar nominee, Ryo Yoshizawa, Sang-il Lee, Satoko Okudera, Shuichi Yoshida, Sofian El Fani, yakuza

A captivating, all-consuming, resplendent and affecting drama convincingly adapted from Shuichi Yoshida’s bestselling novel of the same name — director Sang-il Lee’s third stint drawing from the author’s words following 2010’s Villain and 2016’s Rage — Kokuho charts Kikuo’s career across half a century. Taken from the Japanese term for living national treasures, the film’s title looms as a promise, although the picture’s protagonist isn’t its only dedicated kabuki talent. That success extracts a cost, and that it’s often built on shrouding much that’s personal, mightn’t be a new revelation; however, Lee and screenwriter Satoko Okudera understand that anyone navigating a familiar plight isn’t merely caught in a copy, just as any actor, kabuki or otherwise, taking on a recognisable role isn’t simply mimicking their predecessors.

SPOTLIGHT

SPOTLIGHT March 2024: JUNE SQUIBB, Kickass Actress and Stuntwoman

March 1, 2024March 1, 2024 Leslie Combemale About Schmidt, AWFJ Spotlight, broadway musicals, character actor, cleveland playhouse, Gypsy, june squibb, Nebraska, Oscar nominee, spotlight, stuntwoman, Thelma

There’s no question that women deal with sexism, misogyny, and ageism, particularly in the entertainment industry, but that has not stopped June Squibb. Now in her 90’s, tje Oscar-nominated Squibb stars in Thelma , an action thriller in which she performs her own stunts. She has no plans to slow down. She advises: “Don’t listen to other people. Believe in yourself, and do your own thing.” June Squibb is a testament to the power of determination, the value of standing in our own power, and knowing our own worth. She is an inspiration for all women, regardless of their career, and at any age.