Set in a near-future Tokyo where the threat of a catastrophic earthquake pervades daily life, two rabble-rousing best friends are about to graduate high school. One night, they pull a consequential prank on their principal, which leads to a surveillance system being installed in their school. Adults insist the system ensures student safety, but the kids feel they’re being treated like prisoners. Hot on the heels of RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: OPUS, Neo Sora’s moving document of his late father’s final performance, HAPPYEND — with its stunning vistas of eerily empty urban landscapes — announces Sora as a bold new visionary. Imagining Tokyo in a time of cultural and geological upheaval, his debut narrative feature is both speculative and urgent. Though these characters speak to us from the future, we are urged to consider their pleas in the here and now.
"Even in its most uncertain moments, HAPPYEND is carried by the sincerity of its characters and their affection for each other." —David Ehrlich, Indiewire "A crisp and understated piece... And the charismatic young cast brings a lively, impromptu-feeling organic energy." —Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily "Sora’s excellent drama captures this crossroads beautifully, never leaning into melodrama but understanding that the stakes for these people are enormous." —Brian Tallerico, rogerebert.com
