Renoir (2025 film)
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| Japanese name | |||||
| Kana | ルノワール | ||||
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| Directed by | Chie Hayakawa | ||||
| Written by | Chie Hayakawa | ||||
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| Cinematography | Hideho Urata | ||||
| Edited by | Anne Klotz | ||||
| Music by | Rémi Boubal | ||||
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Running time | 116 minutes | ||||
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| Language | Japanese | ||||
Renoir (Japanese: ルノワール, Hepburn: Runowāru) is a 2025 coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Chie Hayakawa. Starring Yui Suzuki, Lily Franky, Hikari Ishida, and Ayumu Nakajima, the film follows the childhood of 11-year-old Fuki in late-1980s Tokyo. The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2025, and was theatrically released in Japan on 20 June 2025.
Premise
11-year-old Fuki navigates adolescence and family struggles in late-1980s Tokyo.[1]
Cast
- Yui Suzuki as Fuki Okita
- Lily Franky as Keiji Okita, Fuki's father
- Hikari Ishida as Utako Okita, Fuki's mother
- Yuumi Kawai as Kuriko Kita
- Ayumu Nakajima as Toru Omaezaki
- Ryota Bando as Kaoru
- Hana Hope as Kate
- Jeffrey Rowe as Jerry
Production
Director Chie Hayakawa drew inspiration from her own childhood experience of having a father with cancer.[2] She had wanted to make the film since her early 20s, but noted that it would have been "too dark" had she done so earlier. She intentionally set the film in 1987, during Japan's bubble economy, as she felt it paralleled current society.[3] Newcomer Yuki Suzuki, who plays Fuki, was the first actress Hayakawa saw for the role.[2]
Principal photography took place in Japan from July to September 2024. Filming also took place in the Philippines in November 2024.[4][5] Hayakawa used French sound recordists and boom operators during production.[3]
Release
Goodfellas acquired the international sales rights to the film on 18 May 2024.[6] A trailer was released on 11 April 2025.[7] The film premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2025.[8] It was theatrically released in Japan on 20 June 2025.[9]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11]
Wendy Ide of Screen Daily wrote that, while the film might leave questions for the viewer, she called it "an elegant, thoughtful piece of filmmaking that digs into the guilt and confusion that underpins a child’s struggle to process death".[12] Stephanie Bunbury of Deadline commended the entire cast's performances, paying specific note to that of Yui Suzuki, who plays Fuki. She commended the "poignancy and precision of individual scenes" and wrote, "If this story doesn't coalesce as seamlessly as [Chie Hayakawa's] first film does, it still has the power to touch and then to haunt us."[13] Jessica Kiang of Variety called the film "breezy but moving".[14]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 24 May 2025 | Palme d'Or | Chie Hayakawa | Nominated | [15] |
References
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (19 March 2025). "'Plan 75' Director Chie Hayakawa's 'Renoir' Adds KawanKawan Media to International Co-Production Team (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ a b Pavard, Charlotte (17 May 2025). "Renoir, interview with Chie Hayakawa". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ a b Ramachandran, Naman (17 May 2025). "Cannes Competition: Chie Hayakawa's 'Renoir' Explores Childhood Grief Within Japan's Bubble Era". Variety. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Jaucian, Don (11 April 2025). "Filipino Co-Produced 'Renoir' is Part of Cannes Main Slate". Rolling Stone Philippines. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ^ Popp, Olivia (18 April 2025). "Chie Hayakawa's Renoir jumps into the race for the Palme d'Or". Cineuropa. Retrieved 21 April 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (18 May 2024). "Goodfellas Boards Japanese Director Chie Hayakawa's 'Renoir'". Deadline. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "早川千絵の監督作「ルノワール」予告公開、鈴木唯が"事情を抱えた大人たち"と触れ合う". Natalie (in Japanese). 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ^ Lang, Robert (17 May 2025). "Cannes Film Festival 2025 in Photos: Richard Linklater, Zoey Deutch, & Guillaume Marbeck at 'New Wave' Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Lui, John (24 April 2025). "Two made-with-Singapore films to screen at the Cannes Film Festival". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 April 2025.
- ^ "Renoir". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ "Renoir". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (17 May 2025). "'Renoir' review: A grieving 11-year-old retreats into fantasy in 1980s Tokyo". Screen Daily. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Bunbury, Stephanie (17 May 2025). "'Renoir' Review: A Young Girl Seeks Connection In Touching & Haunting '80s-Set Drama – Cannes Film Festival". Deadline. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Kiang, Jessica (17 May 2025). "'Renoir' Review: Scenes From a 1980s Japanese Girlhood Coalesce Into a Breezy But Moving Drama". Variety. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (24 May 2025). "Jafar Panahi Wins Cannes Palme d'Or for 'It Was Just an Accident'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 May 2025.