JFTFP26: Ura Aka: L'Aventure

How far can you escape yourself before the mask slips? 

Fashion boutique manager ITO Machiko (TAKIUCHI Kumi) feels trapped in the monotony of her life. Her ideas are routinely dismissed, while her younger, charismatic colleague SHINDO Sayaka (MATSUBARA Sumire) seems to be taking over her work — leaving Machiko increasingly frustrated. After an offhand remark from Sayaka, Michiko creates a secret social media account — an ura aka — under the alias “March,” where she begins posting sexually provocative photos. The attention and admiration that follow offer a thrill and validation absent from her everyday existence.

One day, she receives a direct message from a follower named “Yuto” (KAMIO Fuju), who asks to meet her in person. The two share a one-night stand, where they bond over their shared feelings of dissatisfaction and longing. Unable to pursue a deeper relationship with “Yuto,” Machiko continues to seek the thrill of adventure by pretending to be somebody else. 

Meanwhile, her real-world career unexpectedly flourishes. When she meets collaborator HARASHIMA Tsutomu in a business meeting, she is shocked to discover that he is, in fact, “Yuto.” As their hidden online lives seep into reality, the boundary between persona and self begins to dangerously dissolve, and Machiko finds herself falling into a pit from which there is no escape. 

Director KATO Takuya’s striking feature debut, Ura Aka: L’Aventure, is a relatively unknown gem. Stylish and ambitious, it explores the desires and frustrations that women face in contemporary life, seen through the lens of secret social media identities. 

This film is presented as part of the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026: Knowing Me, Knowing You: The True Self in Japanese Cinema. 

Co-presented by the Japan Foundation.

Supported by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.

Sponsors in Kind: Athletia, Calbee, Clearspring, Pentel and SUQQU.