When Kokuho picked up a single nomination – for best hair and make-up – at this year’s Academy Awards, it was a surprise. But the Japanese epic, which follows the coming-of-age and career of a fictional actor (Ryo Yoshizawa) adopted by a legendary theatre star (Ken Watanabe) after his father was killed by rival yakuza, had already become the highest-grossing live-action film of all time in Japan. It’s easy to see how a story of fraternal rivalry, betrayal and redemption sethellip;

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