Welcome Back

Teru and Ben grew up together and consider each other brothers. While Teru, a rising boxing talent, begins to clash with his own limits and ego, it is Ben’s unwavering belief in him as an unbeatable winner that pushes the story in an unexpected direction. What starts as a sports film set in the gritty world of boxing evolves into a road movie in which the two protagonists unravel their relationship. Throughout this process of self-discovery and self-reinvention, the audience is left to wonder: who needs the other more?

With Welcome Back, Naoto Kawashima (director, writer, and editor) presents his second feature film. It premiered internationally at the 40th Warsaw International Film Festival, where it received a nomination for the Competition 1-2 Award.

The internal and relational transformation of the protagonists is embodied by the physical journey they undertake. Kawashima drew from his own experiences, utilizing locations he discovered while hitchhiking.

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