EXCLUSIVE: Japan’s Gaga Corporation has boarded international sales of upcoming drama The Potentials, co-directed by Shoichi Morimoto and Takuma Sato.
It marks the feature directorial debut of Morimoto, a longtime assistant director of Hirokazu Koreeda with credits including Cannes award-winners Monster, Shoplifters and Like Father, Like Son. Co-director Sato previously made Any Crybabies Around?, which debuted in Competition at San Sebastian and won the jury prize for best cinematography.
The Potentials follows a 42-year-old assistant of a manga artist who is unsettled by the success of his younger colleagues and struggles to get along with his wife and daughter. The character then encounters a manga project that may help him get out of his rut.
The cast is led by Go Morita, known for starring roles in 2016 crime thriller Himeanole, 2022 mystery drama Death Days and 2024’s The Voices At War.
The film is produced by IK Entertainment and Geek Pictures. Gaga serves as the Japanese distributor of the film, which is set to receive a local theatrical release on October 30.
“This film portrays people living on the fringes of the manga industry,” said Sato. “We filmed it with care to capture the interactions surrounding their daily lives and work, as well as the humour and poignancy that arise, without letting any of it slip away.”
Morimoto added: “This film doesn’t feature nail-biting twists that’ll make your palms sweat, lofty messages that’ll leave you reflecting on your own worthlessness after watching, or a wild, out-there world that offers a fleeting escape from reality. We aimed to uncover the particularly ordinary side of normal people.”
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