“I like to call it a friendship break-up film”: Neo Sora on Happyend

Set in a near-future Japan, where a far-right government exploits the threat of a catastrophic earthquake to consolidate power and fuel xenophobia and racism, Neo Sora’s Happyend follows two high-school students and underground techno enthusiasts, Kou (Yukito Hidaka) and Yuta (Hayato Kurihara). Their close friendship is gradually strained by pervasive state surveillance and mounting social pressures.

Speaking to The Upcoming, Sora explained that the film was inspired by his reflections on the ambiguous nature of friendship and Japan’s history of colonialism. He also discussed how speculative fiction provides a powerful framework for exploring contemporary political anxieties, and highlighted the role of underground music and alternative spaces in the film as vital sites of connection, resistance and solidarity.