In 2024, a construction crew demolishing an old pachinko parlor in Osaka discovered a sealed metal box buried in the foundation. Inside were three reels labeled Kage no Jikū – Director’s Cut . The film is currently undergoing restoration at the National Film Archive of Japan. If the condition is stable, it is projected to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2026.
78 minutes. Plot: A water inspector (played by the haunting Rentarō Mikuni) descends into a massive, labyrinthine cistern beneath Shinjuku. He discovers a lost community of "the forgotten"—war orphans who have adapted to live in the dark. The film has no jump scares. Instead, it builds dread via negative space. The final shot, a 12-minute static take of the inspector floating face-down in the black water, is considered one of the most harrowing endings in genre history. nachi kurosawa