[Edaily Reporter Choi Hee-jae ] Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s feature film debut, “Passion,” is set to premiere in theaters.

Distributor Triple Pictures announced on the 10th, “‘Passion,” which marks the cinematic debut of Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, is set to open in theaters on December 9.”

“Passion” is the feature-length debut of director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who is hailed as a master of the Japanese film industry. It was first released in 2008 and has previously been featured in a special retrospective in South Korea.

“Passion” tells the story of a dinner gathering of old friends where Tomoya and Kaho announce their engagement, after which past events and long-hidden feelings gradually come to light, causing their relationships to falter.

The teaser poster, released on the 10th, features five men and women with different expressions and gazes against a gray background. Longtime classmates Takeshi (Kiyohiko Shibukawa), Tomoya (Ryuta Okamoto), Kaho (Aoba Kawai), Takako (Fusako Urabe), and Kenichiro (Nao Okabe) stand side by side, but their gazes are directed elsewhere—none of them looking at one another—and their subtle expressions catch the eye.

Tomoya, standing expressionless with his arms crossed, and his fiancée Kaho, with her head bowed, symbolically illustrate the rift between love and friendship. The phrase, “A life without love is meaningless, isn’t it?” further foreshadows the emotional shifts the five characters will face.

The original trailer conveys the film’s atmosphere through a montage that interweaves different scenes and sounds. While Director Hamaguchi’s signature delicate psychological portrayal stands out, the line “Can you forgive me?” following Kenichiro and Kaho’s embrace, along with the question “How’s married life?”, heighten curiosity about the relationships between the characters.

Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi won the Best Screenplay Award at the 74th Cannes Film Festival and the Best International Feature Film Award at the 94th Academy Awards for *Drive My Car*. He garnered attention at the Locarno International Film Festival with *Happy Hour*, advanced to the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival with *Asako*, and won the Silver Bear (Grand Jury Prize) at the Berlin International Film Festival for *Chance and Imagination*.

Starting with the release of *Passion*, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s signature works *Drive My Car* and *Happy Hour* are also set to return to theaters on the 23rd of next month to commemorate the fifth anniversary of their releases.