Author Kimijima Kanata‘s debut work “I Can’t Cry With Your Face”/「君の顔では泣けない」 (published by KADOKAWA), has been adapted into a live-action film starring Takahashi Kaito (King & Prince) and Yoshine Kyoko. It is scheduled for domestic release in November this year and this will be the first time Yoshine and Takahashi will co-star in a film.
The story begins during the first year of high school for Sakahira Riku and Mizumura Manami, who, after falling into a pool together, end up exchanging their bodies and minds. Believing that it must be some kind of mistake, the two try their best to find a way to get their lives back to normal.
However, both Riku and Manami had a secret that no one could discover and after 15 years both were still trapped in each other’s bodies. They both experience life’s hardships as try to live like this; Going to university, experiencing their first love, getting a good job, getting married, having children and even saying goodbye to their parents. But when they find themselves in the summer of their 30s, Manami tells Riku that she thinks she has found a way for them both to get back to normal.
Yoshine plays the main character; Sakahira Riku, who finds it hard to accept that he has been exchanged with another person and is clumsy, but tries to live honestly, while Takahashi plays Mizumura Manami, who hides her true feelings that Manami is a woman in her heart, but manages to act bravely since Riku is a man. The director will be Yuichiro Sakashita, who directed “The Sunday Runoff” (22).
Kimijima, who watched the completed film ahead of the others, revealed his honest feelings, saying: “I felt that everyone worked on the film with sincerity towards the original work” and gave his stamp of approval, saying: “Since I am the biggest fan of the original work, there is no doubt about it“.
Comment by Kaito Takahashi:
It has been 15 years since he was replaced. Both have been carrying a silent pain for a long time. They both struggle with the fear of an uncertain future, but at the same time, that is precisely why they feel the importance of the pain they experience every day.
This is how I imagine time flowing between Manami and Riku, somewhere between reality and fantasy. I approached this piece by mobilising all my imagination.
I wonder when and to whom the viewers will project their feelings, and how. I really want everyone to be able to watch it. I hope you can watch it in the cinema and hope you enjoy it!
Comment by Kyoko Yoshine:
15 years of living as Manami Mizumura, but one day, my life as Riku Sakahei suddenly began. How can I live as I am?, How can I live as the other person?, How can I accept myself?, How can I accept the other?…
It has been 15 years since we switched; University, work, love and childbirth…
After going through so many different experiences, can the two of them, now 30 years old, ever get back together?, Do they even want to go back in the first place?
They struggled and struggled, but still lived life to the fullest.
I would be happy if you could witness this story in the cinema.
Comment by director and screenwriter, Yuichiro Sakashita:
I remember when first read the original play. I was amazed how a scenario in which the characters had been interchanged for 15 years could be interpreted in so many different ways and create such a rich story; it was as if I had discovered an invention.
I had a hard time visualising this difficult scenario, but then, was Yoshine-san and Takahashi-san who solved the problem.
Yoshine played the character of Riku, who is in conflict and struggle, like Riku and Manami, who have swapped bodies for 15 years, with sincerity; while Takahashi played the character with a lightness and sensitivity that made you feel the pain.
These two are definitely the highlight of the film. Please come and see it in the theatre.
Comment by Producer, Keisuke Konishi:
After watching some of Yoshine and Takahashi‘s past performances and consulting with the director, I felt that only they could play these roles and made them an offer. To express the accumulation of 15 years, the actors had to imagine a total of 30 years of their lives, including 15 years before the body change and 15 years after the change, and they brilliantly completed the complex and difficult mission of playing characters living someone else’s life. They simply brought the roles of Riku and Manami to life, with movements and gestures so natural that they could easily go unnoticed. The feelings of caring for each other, the conflict of wanting to return but wondering if it would be better not to, and the kindness, sadness and warmth that permeate this film are all unique in my opinion.
Comment by the original author of the work, Kimijima Kakata:
I love films, but I thought it was just something I enjoyed and that would never be involved in the world of cinema. Then, to my surprise, a novel I wrote was made into a film, and it’s my debut novel, which I have a strong emotional attachment to, how could I not be happy?
When I saw the finished film, my joy turned into excitement. The director, the staff and the actors, I felt that everyone worked sincerely on the original work to create this film!
The film “I Can’t Cry with Your Face” is very interesting. I am the biggest fan of the original story, so there is no doubt about it. Please watch it!
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