Lee Sang-il, a Japanese-Korean filmmaker, is writing a new chapter in Japanese cinema with his film Gukbo, which opens domestically on November 19. The movie centers on a protagonist born into a Yakuza family who ascends to the rank of Living National Treasure among Kabuki actors, a journey that has drawn strong box-office attention in Japan, surpassing 12 million admissions and earning about 17 billion yen.

Lee describes Gukbo as not merely a Kabuki film but a portrait of an artist’s life that can resonate with audiences around the world. He hopes the story will speak to viewers beyond genre boundaries.

The lead character, Kikuo, is an onnagata—a man who specializes in female roles within Kabuki. From the moment he decided to make a Kabuki-based film, the onnagata has been placed at the center of the narrative, with Lee aiming to capture the enigmatic aura of such performers.

Yoshizawa Ryo, who plays Kikuo, trained in Kabuki for 1 year and 6 months for the role. The child actor who portrayed Kikuo in his youth, Kurokawa Soya, also devoted four months to Kabuki practice. The director packed their efforts into nearly three hours of running time.

“I wanted to capture a mood that cannot be expressed in words,” he said, describing his approach to the performances on screen.

“Meeting actual onnagata actors gives you a sense that is not of ordinary people. It’s not merely being feminine; it’s a non-gendered, almost agender presence. Their movements, attitudes, and overall aura differ completely both on stage and in everyday life.”

The director noted that making such a lengthy film in today’s industry was not easy, given that younger audiences may be unfamiliar with Kabuki. Yet he felt the pace was necessary to portray a life and an art form, and after the preview, he gained confidence while discovering that audiences could be moved by seeing people’s acting rather than animation alone.

During his visit to Korea, he also spoke with Bong Joon-ho about incorporating theatrical traditions into cinema, joking that Bong told him to say he had beaten James Cameron. He praised Korean cinema’s resilience while expressing concern over the current OTT-driven trend in the domestic industry, but he ultimately believes Korean cinema can rise again.