In The Real You, set in the near future, Ishikawa Sakuya (Ikematsu Sosuke) receives a phone call from his mother, Akiko (Tanaka Yuko), who wants to tell him something important.

But before they can meet, he witnesses her drowning in a river.

One year later, after waking from a coma, Sakuya discovers that his mother participated in a government-approved ‘elective death’ programme.

Confused and desperate to learn his mother’s final message, Sakuya meets Nozaki Masato (Tsumabuki Satoshi), a developer of Virtual Figures (VF) — AI recreations of the dead built from harvested data and accessed through VR goggles.

He also approaches Miyoshi Ayaka (Miyoshi Ayaka), supposedly his mother’s friend, to collect more information.

Soon, the VF is complete. As the three begin an unusual cohabitation, his mother’s digital image gradually reveals a side of her that Sakuya had never known existed…

Adapted from Hirano Keiichiro’s novel of the same name, this film by director Ishii Yuya (The Moon, JFTFP25) tackles urgent social issues — from the use of advanced technologies to assisted dying — while confronting audiences with the question of what we might feel when we finally learn the truth about others.

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026

Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self in Japanese Cinema.

The UK’s largest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP),is back again. This is the place where cinema comes alive!

Knowing others—let alone ourselves—is not easy, as we behave differently depending on the relationship, environment, or even intention. In an age of advanced digital technology, where imagery can be readily manipulated, it is even harder to define who we, or others, truly are.

With these questions in mind, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 showcases some of the most unmissable Japanese films nationwide across the UK.

From powerful social crime dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies to gender-defining films, fantasy, and horror, the programme offers something for everyone.

See all our JFTFP 2026 screenings!

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