Performance art includes many styles of acting. Some forms are more disciplined, while others are better with a free-spirit approach. In almost all cases, they measure success based on the audience’s reaction. A stage provides an immediate gauge. Gradually, critical reviews and online reactions became part of the yardstick. Some opinions can make or break an actor’s career. But many actors use criticism as motivation to work harder and become better — and the best revenge can be proving detractors wrong. In Kokuho , a young man must overcome many obstacles to achieve his dream of becoming a Kabuki star.

The film begins in Nagasaki in 1964. Kikuo (Ryo Yoshizawa) is the orphaned son of a yakuza boss that shows great potential for Kabuki theatre. Having seen his talent, a celebrated Kabuki master ( Ken Watanabe ) agrees to make Kikuo his apprentice alongside his son, Shunsuke (Ryusei Yokohama).

The teen boys are the same age, and quickly develop a brotherly bond and healthy rivalry. Kikuo has natural talent, while Shunsuke has his family name to make up for his lack of focus. One day, the stage duo is divided by a chance at the spotlight. When one of the boys is selected to play the prominent role in a high-profile production, the other flees the city.

Over the course of five decades, audiences witness two distinct sides of Kabuki. On the one hand, the art of Kabuki is beautiful. The men in the film are trained in onnagata , which is the long-running practice of men playing women on stage. Their movements are deliberate, but effortless. It takes years of dedication and practice to perfect the execution. The best become legends of their craft or kokuho , which means a national treasure.

The other side is a cutthroat business. Patrons fund the productions, making their approval critical. Without it, an actor may find himself permanently out of work. With so few theatres, competition for the top roles is also tight.

Interestingly, legacy plays a significant part in a Kabuki actor’s success. It’s one of the things that sets Kikuo and Shunsuke apart in terms of their prospects. No matter how good Kikuo is, he’s an outsider trying to break into the ranks. The disparity is visible in how the boys carry themselves with Shunsuke’s casualness juxtaposed with Kikuo’s restraint.

Kokuho arrives as a 15-year passion project for director Lee Sang-il. His passion for and devotion to the subject is evident in the attention to detail throughout the period drama. The film is a love letter to the art of Kabuki. Lee doesn’t only try to help audiences understand it, but he invites them to love it as he does.

Although it runs three hours, the pace is even and doesn’t drag at any point. Excerpts from the various plays in which the actors perform add marvellous depth to the story. Seeing the fruits of their training on stage invites audiences to see acting of the highest order. The title of each play and a short description appear on screen, so audiences understand the context of the scenes. The tales are wonderful and often woeful, demanding authenticity from the performers — which is one of the qualities their master insists on.

The training within the film is very strict, landing somewhere between a ballet dancer’s instruction and The Bride’s education by Pai Mei in Kill Bill Vol. 2 . Their bodies must achieve and sometimes hold unnatural positions, so the master painfully moulds the boys’ forms. He claims that with enough repetition, their bones will remember the movements even when their minds cannot.

Yoshizawa spent more than a year training for the film. As a result, he achieves the illusion of perfection as Kikuo’s performances are meant to be flawless. Yokohama isn’t expected to possess his co-star’s grace, but Shunsuke’s artful dedication is a means of honouring his father and his determination is evident.

The film blends a riveting narrative with an immense appreciation for performance that immerses audiences into the distinctive world of Kabuki.

Kokuho screened as part of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. Head here to get all our That Shelf TIFF coverage .