It has been announced that the film "Frontline" (directed by Sekine Mitsutoshi), starring actor Oguri Shun with Tori Matsuzaka, Ikematsu Sosuke, and Kubozuka Yosuke, will be released in June 2025. It will be the first Japanese film based on an original script and tells a fact-based story about the new coronavirus.
The story is set on the luxury cruise ship "Diamond Princess," which arrived at Yokohama Port on February 3, 2020 and became the first place in Japan to experience a mass infection of the new coronavirus. The film depicts the events from that day until February 21, when all passengers had disembarked.
Oguri plays Hideharu Yuki, the commander of DMAT, a volunteer medical organization that specializes in disaster medical care. Matsuzaka plays Nobutaka Tatematsu, an official dispatched by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. Ikematsu plays Haruto Sanada, a DMAT member. Kubozuka plays Yukiyoshi Sendo, who has a past with Yuki that could be called a "comrade in arms."
Oguri reflected, "I was really drawn in by the story about people who were fighting (the new coronavirus), which I didn't know about at the time, and I felt that it was something that should be made into a movie. Now that we're in a situation where our daily lives have returned to normal, I think this is a huge event that we must not forget, and it was a challenge for us to be able to convey it as a movie."
Regarding Oguri, with whom he co-starred for the first time, Matsuzaka said, "He communicates sincerely with each person, and including the way he carries himself on set, Oguri is a warm person who tries to embrace the entire work. That is something that really links with Yuki (played by Oguri)."
Ikematsu said, "I don't know what I can do to go to the front lines, but I want to relive what happened back then, even if just a little." Kubozuka said, "This is the first time he's worked with Oguri in 26 years since the drama "GTO" (1998). He revealed the story behind the show, saying, "Shun called me and asked if I'd be interested in the story about the new coronavirus. I was a little wary, but I was impressed by the script and I really wanted to do it."
◇Comment from Jun Masumoto, the planner, scriptwriter and producer
It all started with a conversation I had with a doctor on a cruise ship in early March 2020, shortly before the new coronavirus had become deeply ingrained in our lives. At the time, the media was actively reporting on the spread of the new coronavirus on the cruise ship, so I thought I understood what was going on. However, the doctor told me about the actual situation on board, many of which were unknown to the public, and he told me a series of shocking and tear-jerking stories.
I wonder how much fear and conflict the doctors, crew, and passengers must have experienced as they faced this unknown virus before anyone else in Japan. And how did their families feel when they sent them off? I wanted to share this unknown story of love and courage with as many people as possible. And now, with the cooperation of many people, I am able to deliver it to you all in the form of a film.
◇Comment from Director Mitsutoshi Sekine
Before 2020, we were largely ignorant of the idea of a pandemic brought about by an unknown virus, and we shared the shock of it, experiencing a time when life seemed to stand still. How many more times in our lifetimes will an event that all of humanity will share occur? This film is based on an original screenplay by Jun Masumoto and tells the true story of the "cluster" that occurred on a cruise ship at the very beginning of this pandemic, the first medical workers who were suddenly thrown into this terrifying situation they had never experienced before, and the struggles and love of the various people who had to face it. I thought it would be a rare, challenging work that we should all share.
I also felt that if I could participate in this film, it would be an important responsibility for me as a filmmaker. What would we do the next time a pandemic occurs? I'm sure there is something that can be unraveled from this unknown story.
