Film 'mentor' explores twisted mentorship between fire victim and perpetrators

Director Yoshida Keisuke's original film 'mentor' depicts an unsettling reconnection between two young men who caused a fatal apartment fire 15 years ago through a fireworks accident and the man whose family was killed in the blaze. The narrative centers on how the victim, Nomoto (played by Ayano Go), comes to serve as a mentor figure to Takumi (End Satoya of Aぇ! group), one of the perpetrators, in an emotionally complex and morally ambiguous relationship.

The film explores themes of forgiveness, guilt, and the nature of mentorship itself. While Takumi becomes absorbed in seeking absolution through devotion to Nomoto, his co-perpetrator Ryunosuke (Isomura Yuto) pursues archery as an Olympic athlete, maintaining emotional distance from both the incident and the mentoring dynamic. The three men's inability to align—Ryunosuke's skepticism, Takumi's earnest contrition, and Nomoto's disquieting benevolence—creates an undercurrent of dark comedy and psychological tension that escalates throughout the narrative.

Director Yoshida has described the project as a deconstruction of self-help literature and the mentorship concept itself, stemming from his long-standing skepticism toward prescriptive advice culture. The film deliberately avoids conventional genre categorization, blending elements of human drama, psychological thriller, and dark comedy. Yoshida notes that Ayano's presence fundamentally shaped the script; his demonstrated acting range and reliability inspired rewrites that deepened the character of Nomoto. On set, Ayano functioned as an informal mentor to his younger co-stars, embodying the film's central preoccupation with guidance and influence. The three-actor ensemble delivered performances that drew praise for their ability to convey simultaneous sincerity and absurdity—what Yoshida describes as genuine earnestness that becomes inadvertently comedic through its extreme conviction.