Kinpatsu (2025 Film)

Kinpatsu (Japanese: 金髪) is a 2025 Japanese film directed and written by Yuichiro Sakashita. The film, distributed by Klock Worx, explores the personal and professional challenges faced by a middle school teacher amidst a growing social controversy.

Promotional poster for the film Kinpatsu.

Plot

The story follows Ichikawa, played by Takanori Iwata, a teacher at a public middle school. His life is disrupted by two concurrent events. First, his students begin arriving at school with their hair dyed blonde as a form of protest against school regulations. This act of rebellion gains significant attention, escalating from an internal school issue to a national matter involving the Board of Education, the Ministry of Education, and the Prime Minister.

Simultaneously, Ichikawa faces pressure in his personal life from his girlfriend, Akasaka (Mugi Kadowaki), who begins to discuss the prospect of marriage. Ichikawa, who has not previously considered marriage, finds himself overwhelmed by both the professional crisis at his school and the personal expectations placed upon him.

Takanori Iwata as Ichikawa — Takanori Iwata portrays the lead character, Ichikawa.

Cast

The film features an ensemble cast including:

Takanori Iwata as Ichikawa
Mugi Kadowaki as Akasaka
Tamaki Shiratori as Itaroku
Maho Yamada as Nakamoto
Kentaro Tamura as Komai
Chika Uchida as Nishihara

Tamaki Shiratori plays the role of Itaroku.

Mugi Kadowaki plays the role of Akasaka.

Chika Uchida plays the role of Nishihara.

Production

Kinpatsu was directed by Yuichiro Sakashita, who also penned the screenplay. The production involved producers Kazumi Fukase and Yusuke Wakabayashi, with cinematography by Yuta Tsukinaga. The film has a runtime of 103 minutes and was released on November 21, 2025.