Koji Fukada talks about Cannes premiere title “Judgment of Love”

What happens when a pop star falls in love? She was sued in the cruel idol industry in Japan. Shocking reality forms the backbone of Japanese director Koji Fukada's Cannes Film Festival drama Love in Trial, which tear the veil from the harsh "no date" clause, which legally avoids romance by J-Pop's smartest star.

The project marks Fukada's fourth collaboration with the MK2 film, and his first collaboration with Japanese giant Toho type.

The film debuted at the Cannes premiere of the Cannes Film Festival, following Mai, a burgeoning idol whose career exploded when she was discovered, triggering a court battle that exposed the industry’s irons for the personal lives of young female performers.

"The starting point is a small article I encountered on the Internet around 2015," type. "It tells the story of a female idol who was sued by her agency after she had a romantic relationship with her fans. I was particularly shocked to learn that the contract between the idol and the agency included terms that prohibit romantic relationships with the opposite sex."

Originally evolved into an exploration of a wider social problem in industry-specific commentary. "By exploring this topic, I can delve into more common problems, such as gender and free will, which are below the surface," the filmmaker explained.

To create a true portrayal of the idol industry, Fukada and co-author Shintaro Mitani actively write for the current idol group, conducting extensive research. “During that time, I had multiple interviews with actual idols and producers who managed idol groups,” Fokada said, adding that they studied court records and consulted lawyers to construct the legal scenes of the film.

While the film targets problematic industry practices, Fokada carefully avoids sensation. “The film deliberately avoids portraying her most dramatic and ugliest moments in real-time social downturn,” he said. “Doing so would risk replicating old-fashioned media practices to entertain celebrity scandals.”

Instead, he focused on “the lingering, dull and painful experience after losing her status, the subsequent transformation and the major decisions she made later.”

For Fokada, the idol industry represents a deeper social problem in Japan. “The idol industry is often criticized for its tendency to demand immature and overly pure young women, while denying their sufficient autonomy does not tolerate deviations,” he observed. “I think this characteristic stems from the Japanese society, which always ranks below 100 in the gender gap index and is the lowest in the G7 countries.”

Although "Judgment Love" seems to appear more blatant than some of Fokada's previous works such as "harmony" or "love life", the director believes it is "a natural result of the subject." He noted that the concept began with the editing of “Harmony” and developed with other projects, with earlier works “Hospitalité” and “Sayonara” also addressing social problems including immigrants and refugees.

For the cast, Fukada took auditions for nearly every role in the Japanese cinema. “We were able to play the role of actual idols, which allowed us to capture the authenticity of their performances as individuals living in the exhibition business,” he said. “Young idols provide amazing performances on screen. In particular, I hope the audience will feel the presence of the top Japanese idol, Kyoko Saito, throughout the whole two hours of the film.”

Despite the specific cultural background of the film, Fokarda believes its theme will resonate around the world. “While 'Judgment of Love' is set in the unique world of Japanese idols, its themes (such as gender differences, oppression, conflict in the entertainment industry and the struggle for independence) are all common.”

As the Cannes premiere approaches, Fukada said she hopes the film “gets as much audience as possible” and international audiences will find that “their own perspectives and society reflect them, as if holding a mirror.”