Baka's Identity
| Baka's Identity | |
|---|---|
| Japanese | 愚か者の身分 |
| Directed by | Koto Nagata |
| Screenplay by | Kosuke Mukai |
| Based on | Orokamono no Mibun by Jun Nishio |
| Produced by | Akira Morii Kumi Kobata Kazuya Shimomura |
| Starring | Takumi Kitamura Yuta Hayashi Go Ayano |
| Cinematography | Tomoo Ezaki |
| Edited by | Ryuji Miyajima |
| Music by | Yoshiaki Dewa |
Production companies | The Seven Lat-Lon |
| Distributed by | The Seven Showgate |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Baka's Identity is a 2025 Japanese film directed by Koto Nagata which explores Japanese youth poverty in criminal underworld through the perspectives of a trio of young men who work as internet scammers.[1][2][3][4] It is based on a 2019 novel, Orokamono no Mibun, by Jun Nishio. The film was produced by Akira Morii.
The movie had its world premiere at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival in competition and is scheduled to be released in Japan on October 24, 2025.[1]
Premise
The movie stars Takumi Kitamura, Go Ayano, and Yuta Hayashi as three young men who make a living by pretending to be young women and tricking men out of their identity papers that they can resell to others trying to establish a new life.[1]
Mamoru (Yuta Hayashi) and Takuya (Kitamura) as a pair chat up young men online, while sending in their female associate (Mizuka Yamashita) to convince men to sell their identities to “her”. The three work under their boss Sato (Goichi Mine).[5] The film tracks the descent of the three protagonists as they fool others and are scammed themselves.[5]
“Baka” is the Japanese word for idiot or fool, fearing to the victims of the trio's Internet scams. [4]
Cast
- Takumi Kitamura as Takuya Matsumoto
- Yuta Hayashi as Mamoru Kakizaki
- Mizuki Yamashita as Kisara Makihara
- Yuma Yamoto as Haruto Egawa (Yuto Taniguchi)
- Haruka Kinami as Yuika
- Kazuya Tanabe as George (Joji Ichioka)
- Goichi Mine as Sato
- Masaki Kaji as Kaizuka
- Yuya Matsuura as Toshio Maeda (Todoroki)
- Go Ayano as Kenshi Kajitani
Development
Jun's 2019 novel, which told the story of youth in Tokyo's Kabukicho red light district, was a sprawling narrative with numerous interconnected characters. Nagata and screenwriter Kosuke Muka chose to focus the script on three characters.[2]
Accolades
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47th Yokohama Film Festival | Best Newcomer | Yuta Hayashi | Won | [6] |
| 80th Mainichi Film Awards | Best Newcomer | Yuta Hayashi | Pending | [7] |
| Best Screenplay | Kosuke Mukai | Pending | [7] |
References
- ^ a b c Ramachandran, Naman (2025-04-17). "Takumi Kitamura Leads the Seven's First Feature Film 'Baka's Identity'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b Schley, Matt. "'Baka's Identity' filmmakers talk exposing youth poverty in Tokyo". Screen. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ "'BAKA's Identity' shines spotlight on youth poverty in Japan - The Korea Times". www.koreatimes.co.kr. 2025-09-19. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b Kerr, Elizabeth. "'Baka's Identity' review: A trio of Japanese internet scammers attempt to escape their life of crime". Screen. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b Tsui, Clarence (2025-09-18). "Baka's Identity". The Film Verdict. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
- ^ "2025年日本映画個人賞". Yokohama Film Festival (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ a b "毎日映画コンクール「国宝」が最多10部門ノミネート! 主演俳優賞候補に吉沢亮、来年1・16各賞発表". Sponichi (in Japanese). 19 December 2025. Retrieved 19 December 2025.