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Synopsis
High school student Ai sees her world collapse when a strange cult-like mentality gradually turns people around her into mindless followers who can transform simple gymnastics routines into a nightmarish dance of death. Written and directed by Yûta Shimotsu (Best Wishes to All), and starring Anna Yamada, Yuzu Aoki, and Pierre Taki.
About the Director
Yûta Shimotsu was born in Fukuoka Prefecture in 1990 and studied mechanical engineering at Saga University. During this time, he began directing commercials and short films, for which he received multiple awards. His short film DREAMING TO ACCEPT REALITY (2020) was screened at numerous international film festivals and served as the basis for his feature film debut BEST WISHES TO ALL (2023 / NC ’24). His second feature, NEW GROUP (2025 / NC ’26), was screened at various festivals including the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Sitges Film Festival.
Director: Yûta Shimotsu
Writer: Yûta Shimotsu, Momoko Sahara
Cast: Anna Yamada, Yuzu Aoki, Ren Komai, Danhi Kinoshita, Arisa Sasaki, Kano Rogers, Jun Hosoi, Ryo Matsumoto, Tomomitsu Adachi, Natsuko Sakakura, Takashi Shimizu, Tomoya Maeno, Taki Pierre
Producers: Tsuyoshi Kobayashi, Shinya Himda
Executive Producers: Takeshi Kikuchi, Takehiko Sasaki, Junji Igarashi
Cinematographer: Toru Nishioka
Language: Japanese
Run time: 82 min
"It’s a most entertaining slice of weirdness...braced by an underpinning of social commentary that supports and enhances its bizarre visual and narrative pleasures."
- Michael Gingold, RUE MORGUE
"Yûta Shimotsu creates an incredible, unpredictable body horror masterpiece that doubles as an indicting satire of Japan’s society."
- Daniel Kurland, BLOODY DISGUSTING
"A daring and utterly confident trip into the pitfalls of societal norms and going with the oppressive flow; Its creativity is undeniable."
- Bianca Piazza, MOVIEWEB