It has been announced that the movie "Kimi no Kao dewa Nakenai (I Can't Cry With Your Face)," starring actress Kyoko Yoshine and co-starring Kaito Takahashi of the popular group "King & Prince," will be released in November. This is the first time the two have acted together, and they play a man and a woman who have been body-switched for 15 years since their first year of high school.
This is a live-action adaptation of the novel of the same name by Kanata Kimijima (published by KADOKAWA in September 2021). The work is Kimijima's debut work, and won the 12th Wild Age Novel Newcomer Award, attracting attention with a decision to reprint it before its release.
The story begins in the summer of their first year of high school, when Sakahira Riku and Mizumura Manami fall into a pool together and end up switching bodies. With a secret they cannot tell anyone about, the two experience turning points in life, such as going on to college, falling in love for the first time, getting a job, getting married, having a baby, and losing their parents, but their bodies never return to normal. However, in the summer when they turn 30, Manami tells Riku, "I think I might have found a way to return to normal."
Yoshine, who plays Riku (after the body switch), commented, "College, work, love, childbirth. After going through all sorts of experiences, the two turn 30 and are now able to go back to the way they were? In fact, do they even want to go back? They struggled and struggled, but still, they lived to the fullest. I hope that everyone will come and see this story in the cinema."
Takahashi, who plays Manami, said, "It's been 15 years since they switched bodies. The two of them have been carrying a quiet pain for a long time. They are fighting the fear of an uncertain future, but at the same time, that is why the pain of each day feels so important. I imagined the time that flows between Manami and Riku, somewhere between reality and fantasy. I called upon all my imagination to approach this work. I wonder when, who, and how the viewers will project their feelings onto it. I'm really looking forward to everyone seeing it. I'd be happy if you could see it in the cinema. I hope you enjoy it!"
The film will be directed by Yuichiro Sakashita, director of the 2022 film "The Decisive Battle on Sunday." Director Sakashita commented, "When I first read the original work, I remember being surprised at how the setting of the two characters being switched for 15 years could be interpreted in so many different ways and create a rich story. I was very worried about how to visualize this difficult setting. It was Yoshine and Takahashi who solved the problem. Yoshine played the character of Riku, who continues to struggle and struggle, with sincerity, while Takahashi played him with a lightness and sensitivity that made you feel pain. Without a doubt, these two are the highlights of this film. Please go see it at the theater."
