My Sunshine

West Coast Premiere

Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, 2024 Cannes Film Festival
Official Selection, 2024 Busan International Film Festival

Takuya, a young boy with a speech impediment, isn’t quite fond of winter or hockey, which the boys are expected to play. But after a wondrous and fateful encounter with a rising star figure skater named Sakura, he starts believing that winter isn’t so bad after all. Sakura’s current coach and former champion, Arakawa (Sōusuke Ikematsu) takes Takuya under his wing after watching his constant attempts on ice, even pairing him up with Sakura for an upcoming ice dancing competition. As Sakura notices the difference in how her coach treats Takuya, the threesome start to develop a more harmonious bond as winter carries on. But, even the ice melts after winter.

Starry-eyed youthful curiosity enliven this sports romance which challenges the gender norms of a rural town. In their film debuts, Keitatsu Koshiyama and Kiara Takanashi are luminous on and off the ice, while the great Sōusuke Ikematsu shines as the coach with a secret backstory.

– Kyraalessandra Reyes