Happyend
Directed by Neo Sora
Official UK website (2025)
In cinemas across the UK from 19 September 2025
Review by Mayumi Donovan
From the start, you’re pulled into a near-future Tokyo — disorienting red lights leave you unsure of where you are. Happyend is a dystopian drama that touches on issues we’re facing today — politics, society — all seen through the eyes of a group of high school friends somewhere in Tokyo. At its heart is the complex relationship between Yuta (Kurihara Hayao) and Kou (Hidaka Yukito), which reflects the film’s deeper themes of friendship and the tough choices of growing up. It asks a powerful question: do you follow society’s rules just to fit in?
We follow five friends trying to sneak into an illegal club. After getting stopped at the door, Yuta — an eager DJ wannabe — and Kou slip inside. They lose themselves in the pounding music, but the fun doesn’t last long. The club gets raided by police. While everyone else runs, Yuta stays behind, immersed in the music. That moment really shows how important music is to him.
From the start, it’s clear these five don’t follow the rules. They just want to have fun together. After a prank involving Yuta and Kou, the school cracks down with a new surveillance system. Breaking rules adds “points” — a cold way to keep control. Visually, the surveillance points system gives the film its most dystopian feel. The principal (Sano Shiro) is strict, almost military, and only makes things worse as tensions rise.
Despite the serious themes, the film balances it with dry humour. Especially Ata-chan (Hayashi Yuta) brings light-hearted moments with his jokey actions in intense situations.
At NYFF, director Neo Sora said the film was inspired by the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, which caused huge fires in Tokyo. That feeling of a looming disaster quietly runs through the story. There’s also a subtle thread about Japan’s darker past — colonialism, immigration control — not front and centre, but always there in the background.
The soundtrack by Lia Ouyang Rusli stands out. It reminded me of the emotional depth in Sakamoto Ryuichi’s work —he’s Sora’s father. The music is gentle, nostalgic, and feels like it was guided by Sora himself. He also directed Opus, Sakamoto’s final work, where the camera lingers on the piano and Sakamoto’s performance in a meditative way. That same sensitivity flows through Happyend.
I also really liked the cinematography. It creates a city that feels both unfamiliar and familiar at the same time. There’s a sharp contrast between the muted cityscape and school, and Kou’s house — a Korean restaurant — which bursts with colour and life, giving it a “lived-in” energy. The earthquake’s impact shows in clever ways: a shaking screen, objects falling off shelves. Sometimes the sound gets eerily quiet, adding to the tension.
A big reason the film works so well is the casting. The friends’ chemistry feels real and believable. Yuta and Kou give strong, layered performances — you see both their softer and angrier sides. Sano Shiro nails the role of the principal. As always, he’s brilliant playing the villain.
Happyend drops you into a future Tokyo, but somehow it feels nostalgic. Watching it took me back to my high school days — when I was a bit rebellious, pushing back against the rules. The film connected me to that part of myself, even though it’s set in the future.
The most impactful moment comes toward the end — the final frozen shot is powerful. It leaves you wondering: what now? It lingers, full of unspoken meaning and tension.