Hiroshi Abe and Ren Nagase to star in film ‘Happy List’

The film ‘Happy List’, starring Hiroshi Abe and Ren Nagase, is scheduled for release on February 5, 2027. Directed and written by Bunji Toyama, the movie is an international co-production with Taiwan.

The story follows Taro Egawa, a 59-year-old man who enters society for the first time in 40 years after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital following the Great East Japan Earthquake. He meets Kota Misaki, a 24-year-old welfare worker who lacks direction in his own life. Together, they navigate life through a ‘to-do list’ of aspirations, such as visiting the sea or appearing in a period drama.

The production was inspired by research into the realities of long-term psychiatric hospitalization in Japan. The film aims to explore human potential and the possibility of starting anew, even after significant periods of social isolation.