Kore-eda Delivers a Tender Live-Action Look Back
Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Look Back (2026) adapts Tatsuki Fujimoto’s one-shot manga into a heartfelt live-action drama about two young girls who become lifelong artists and rivals. The film embraces Kore-eda’s signature gentleness, using art and memory to explore how friendship can both elevate and haunt, with seamless transitions from childhood to adulthood, strong performances by Natsuki Deguchi and Aju Makita, and a moving Yuta Bandoh score. The script at times leaves Kyomoto’s backstory underdeveloped, but the overall emotional charge and reward of shared artistic identity linger long after the credits.