NEW GROUP (2026)

As she approaches adulthood, schoolgirl Ai feels increasingly trapped by the strict rules that characterize Japanese society. When Yu joins her class, she suddenly has an ally. Yu has spent years abroad, which makes him a kind of Japanese outsider. He stands out as much as a train that pulls into Shinjuku station thirteen seconds late. Ai and Yu (I & you – really, the director could have been a tad more subtle) enjoy being rebels, and that is no luxury. Their school has fallen prey to a bizarre movement in which students spontaneously form human pyramids. The teaching staff and the parents enthusiastically encourage this geometric madness, which makes the movement really get out of hand. As in his darkly delightful debut BEST REGARDS TO ALL, Yûta Shimotsu dissects the horror of extreme conformism in this social satire.