Neo Sora’s ‘Happyend’ Sold to Metrograph for US Distribution

Metrograph Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to Japanese director Neo Sora’s feature debut Happy endinga high school delinquency drama with undertones of political dystopia. The film was a critical success at the Venice Film Festival, where it premiered earlier this week in the event’s Horizons section.

After his debut in Venice, Happy ending is then screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, the Busan International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival. Monograph says the film will be released in U.S. theaters next year. Outside the U.S., the title is represented by sales company Magnify.

Happy ending is Sora’s first feature-length fiction film but he was in Venice last year with the documentary, Opuswho captured the final performance of his late father, Japanese music icon Ryuichi Sakamoto.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s leading critic, David Rooney, reviewed Happy ending earlier this week, writing: “Sora strikes an expert tonal balance between the bittersweet, elegiac qualities of end-of-school-year drama” while “bringing a light but lingering touch to the broader fears that affect us all.”

Set in a near-future Tokyo, Happy ending The story follows two best friends who are about to graduate from high school when a catastrophic earthquake threatens their lives. After they pull a prank on their principal, which leads to the installation of a high-tech surveillance system at their school, their friendship is strained by their differing views on how to respond to an increasingly oppressive political climate sweeping Japan.

Said Sora said: “I made this film imagining what the near future might look like, drawing parallels with Japan’s history of earthquakes that exposed social contradictions. Much of this film comes from my own experiences growing up in New York and the friendships that have been fundamental to my life. I look forward to seeing how the film resonates with audiences in the United States.”

David Laub, Head of Metrograph Pictures, added: “Neo Sora is such an exciting new cinematic voice, and Happy ending is a bold, unique and deeply resonant film. It’s set in the near future, but it’s really about our lives today. Neo has created a moving and often humorous story of friendship and growth in a remarkably fresh and surprising world. We’re thrilled to be working with Neo and distributing this one-of-a-kind film.