Happyend

In a near-future Tokyo, a high school prank leads to an invasive surveillance system in Neo Sora’s dystopian coming-of-age drama.

When the principal’s car is discovered in a compromising position, suspicion soon falls on a tight-knit group of electronic-music-loving teenagers. Their school – a microcosm of society with prevailing xenophobia, surveillance and authoritarianism – is disturbingly familiar, while their phones constantly beep with the looming threat of earthquakes.

Jam-packed with delightful cinematic details, and energized by a young cast of mostly non-professional actors, writer-director Neo Sora’s playful feature debut follows films like Plan 75 (2022, Chie Hayakawa) in showing Japan's collective agonies - demographic, nationalistic and ecological - taking root. Sora’s 2023 documentary Opus about his late father, legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, is also available to rent on BFI Player.