A Samurai in Time

A sleeper box office hit in Japan, this heartfelt fish-out-of-water comedy pays loving homage to samurai cinema with a time-travelling twist.

With one strike of lightning, samurai Kosaka Shinzaemon is teleported through time and finds himself in modern day Japan, landing on a period drama film set which he thinks is real. After the penny drops and he starts to make a living as a kirareyaku, Kosaka becomes mesmerised by the world of showbiz: will he adapt to his new reality, or will the grudges of the Edo period war slice his life apart? The film was made in memory of Seizo Fukumoto, Japan’s leading kirareyaku (‘sliced-up actor’) who died more than 50,000 times on camera.

“With carefully honed drama, gentle comedy and a lot of heart, A Samurai in Time is enchanting to watch...” – Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film