Takumi Kitamura stars in Takuya Uchiyama's new film ‘Shibire’

The film ‘Shibire’, directed by Takuya Uchiyama and starring Takumi Kitamura, is scheduled for release on September 25. The film is a semi-autobiographical work set in Niigata, depicting a boy's 20-year journey to find his identity and place in the world.

Director Uchiyama chose Kitamura for the lead role due to his expressive eyes, describing the project as an “eye movie.” Kitamura, who reflects on his own experiences as a child actor, noted that the film helped him learn to embrace his own gaze. The cast also includes Rie Miyazawa as the protagonist's mother and Masatoshi Nagase.

Uchiyama, who has spent over a decade developing the script, emphasized that the film is rooted in the landscapes and emotions of his hometown, Niigata. To prepare for the coastal scenes, the director scouted coastlines from the borders of Yamagata to Toyama. The release will be accompanied by stage greetings in Tokyo and Niigata.