First Official Trailer for Chie Hayakawa’s ‘Renoir’ Coming-of-Age Film
by Alex Billington
April 11, 2025
Source: YouTube
This looks like a winner. The first trailer is out already for a Japanese film premiering at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival this May. Renoir is the second feature film from Japanese director Chie Hayakawa, also at Cannes three years ago with her feature directorial debut titled Plan 75 (also a very good film that not many have seen). Renoir is an emotional, poignant coming-of-age story about resilience, the healing power of the imagination and a traumatized family struggling for connection. Featuring Yui Suzuki as Fuki in her first ever film role. Renoir is the story of an 11-year-old girl, Fuki, who lives with her father, who is fighting an illness, and her mother, who is busy with work in the summer in the late 80s. In addition to Hikari Ishida as Fuki’s mother, Shiko, and Lily Franky as her father, Keiji – who have won numerous film awards – the adults Fuki encounters include Ayumi Nakajima, Yumi Kawai, who is making her big break following her performance in Plan 75, and Ryuta Bando. From this trailer, it kind of looks like a modern version of the seminal classic Tokyo Story – though set in the late 80s, not in contemporary Japan. Another must see.
Here’s the first official Japanese trailer for Chie Hayakawa’s film Renoir, direct from YouTube (via TFS):
A summer of an 11-year-old touching the loneliness & pain of imperfect adults. Happiness, joy, loneliness, and fear… And then she learns “sadness” and becomes an adult. The main character, Fuki, is played by the amazing newcomer Suzuki Yui, who was selected by audition from among many candidates. Her fresh performance, which fills the entire screen, is captivating: her straight gaze at adults & natural dynamism that only an 11-year-old girl of her age could have, and her occasional lonely expressions. Renoir, known as ルノワール in Japanese, is written and directed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, directing her second feature film after making Plan 75 previously, plus a few other shorts. Produced by Fran Borgia, Christophe Bruncher, Jason Gray, Eiko Mizuno Gray. This is premiering at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in May playing in the Main Competition. It’s set for release in Japan starting on June 20th, 2025. No other global release dates are set yet – stay tuned for updates and reviews. Visit the film’s JP official site.
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