Sometimes, forgiveness doesn’t come in grand gestures. It arrives quietly, in a gaze that says: you can stop running now.
In the upcoming film mentor, set to hit theaters in fall 2026, two lives cross again after being frozen in time by a single summer night. Starring Hayato Isomura and Seiya Suezawa of Ae! group, and directed by Keisuke Yoshida, this is a story that doesn’t just linger in the past—it asks what it means to live with it.
Keisuke, known for his searing explorations of guilt, grief, and the human condition in works like Missing, Blank, and Himeanole, reunites with Hayato for the fourth time. The production is backed by award-winning powerhouse Star Sands (The Journalist), co-distributed with Avex Film Labels, and began filming on November 4 with plans to wrap by mid-December.
This marks Seiya’s first solo leading role in a feature film—a milestone that adds emotional weight to an already raw, demanding narrative. Keisuke, a rare voice in Japanese cinema who continues to champion original screenplays in an era saturated with adaptations, presents a film that doesn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it confronts a question at the heart of our time: what do we choose to believe in, and how do we live by it?
The story opens with a fire. Fifteen summers ago, a boy’s reckless fireworks turned an apartment complex into an inferno. From the flames emerged a man, Nomoto, holding the charred body of his wife.
Two boys, Ryunosuke and Takumi, were there. And from that day forward, time never moved quite the same.
Hayato plays Ryunosuke, now a candidate for Japan’s Olympic archery team, who has buried his guilt under precision and performance. Seiya plays Takumi, still trapped in the weight of that night, barely able to lift his gaze from the ground. Their paths, long divided, converge again when Nomoto reappears—not in anger, but in quiet absolution.
“You’ve already atoned enough,” he says. His voice, his presence, so unnervingly gentle, becomes the very force that begins to unravel and rethread their lives. This is the “mentor.”
Though the casting for Nomoto remains under wraps, both Isomura and Suezawa speak of Nomoto’s actor with awe—hinting at a performance that may well redefine the film’s emotional center.
Director Keisuke is also known for his ability to see what lies beneath the surface—those quiet fractures and unspoken truths that live inside us all. In mentor, he brings together two actors with contrasting energies—Hayato’s grounded stillness and Seiya’s tremulous intensity—and asks: what happens when past and present collide in the same heartbeat?
While this isn’t Seiya’s first time on screen—his recent role being the dull elementary school teacher, Ichiro Aoyama, in Kanojo to Kareshi no Akarui Mirai—mentor marks his debut as a solo lead in a feature film. It begins not with a tentative step, but a leap into the deep. “There’s pressure, of course,” he shares, “but the joy and determination are stronger.“
Hayato reflects on the synchronicity that brought him to this project: a long-held desire to work with Keisuke, the pull of an emotionally charged role, and the challenge of embodying an archer. “It felt like a miracle. Like everything I wanted to try showed up at once.”
Director Keisuke draws from a personal place, too. “I’ve lost loved ones and found myself unable to cry. It made me wonder if I was cold. A friend once told me there’s no right way to grieve—that helped me breathe again.“
In mentor, he channels that reflection into a film that doesn’t shy away from the rawest parts of being human. It’s about how we hold pain, how we fail each other, and how we try again—maybe despite it all.
Hayato Isomura (Ryunosuke Mashiko) – Full Comment
I’ve admired Director Yoshida’s work for a long time, and I always hoped to work with him someday. When this project came along, it felt like a miracle—the timing, the role, even the challenge of archery. Everything aligned.
Director Yoshida is warm, open, and easy to talk to. I think that energy will carry into the set as well. I don’t know what kind of chemistry will emerge yet—and that’s exactly what excites me. I want to cherish every moment that unfolds on set.
On the Mentor Role
The actor playing the mentor is truly something else. I get the feeling he’ll completely surpass anything I imagined. I’m genuinely looking forward to working with him and being challenged and inspired by his presence.
Seiya Suezawa (Takumi Kamitani) – Full Comment
This is my first film as an individual and to have it be a leading role in a Yoshida film—it’s truly an honor. Of course, I feel pressure stepping into a role I’ve never taken on before, but more than that, I feel joy and a deep sense of resolve.
It’s also my first time working with Isomura-san, but he’s very approachable. I’m looking forward to building that connection as we go. I want to absorb everything I can on set and keep pushing myself to grow. I’ll give this my all and do my best to make something truly special.
On the Mentor Role
It feels almost overwhelming. Just the chance to act alongside him is an honor. I want to learn as much as I can from the way he carries himself, his atmosphere, his acting. I’m so curious to see what form this “mentor” takes, visually and emotionally.
Keisuke Yoshida (Director / Screenwriter) – Full Comment
I’ve lost loved ones more than once, and each time, I found myself unable to cry properly. It left me feeling like maybe I was just a cold person. But a friend once told me, “Grief looks different for everyone. You can’t compare it.” That really saved me.
This story explores that very theme—the different ways people carry guilt and grief. It’s about how each person processes pain in their own way. I want to create a film that touches those sore, familiar places—and still, somehow, moves you.
Ae! International 