is a 2025 Japanese legal drama thriller film directed by Takashi Miike. It stars Go Ayano as a teacher falsely accused of abusing his student by the boy's mother, with a supporting cast that includes Ko Shibasaki, Kazuya Kamenashi, Kira Miura, Fumino Kimura, Ken Mitsuishi, Kazuki Kitamura and Kaoru Kobayashi.
Written by Hayashi Mori from the investigative book "Fabrication: The Truth About the Fukuoka 'Murder Teacher'" by Masumi Fukuda, the film is based upon a highly publicised 2003 case in Fukuoka in which a teacher was accused of seriously abusing a pupil. The allegations triggered intense media coverage, public condemnation, and a civil lawsuit supported by around 550 lawyers before the case was ultimately challenged in court.
Sham had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, and was released in Japan on June 27, 2025. The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot Seiichi Yabushita, a dedicated and respected elementary school teacher, sees his life collapse when Ritsuko Himuro, the mother of a student named Takuto, accuses him of severe harassment and physical abuse.
Cast Go Ayano as Seiichi Yabushita (薮下誠一), an elementary-school teacher accused by Ritsuko Himuro of subjecting her son Takuto to severe physical abuse and death threats.
Ko Shibasaki as Ritsuko Himuro (氷室律子), who claims her son has been mistreated by Yabushita, eventually taking the matter into the media and the courts.
Kazuya Kamenashi as Michihiko Narumi (鳴海三千彦), a reporter for the weekly magazine Shûkan Shunpô. He seizes on the allegations and publishes Yabushita's real name in a highly sensationalized article, turning the local dispute into a nationwide media scandal.
Koji Ohkura as Toshiaki Tsuzuki (都築敏明), the vice-principal of Yabushita's elementary school, mainly concerned with maintaining the school's peace and public image.
Yukiyoshi Ozawa as Yoshifumi Maemura (前村義文), a psychiatry professor at a university hospital who becomes involved in Takuto's psychiatric assessment.
Masahiro Takashima as Domae (堂前), the editor-in-chief of Shûkan Shunpô and Narumi's superior.
Takaya Sakoda as Takuma Himuro (氷室拓馬), Ritsuko's husband and Takuto's father.
Tamae Ando as Natsumi Yamazoe (山添夏美), the mother of Takuto's classmate Junya Yamazoe.
Rie Mimura as Shôko Hakozaki (箱崎祥子), a psychiatrist involved in Takuto's diagnosis and medical assessment.
Rie Minemura as Kimiyo Fujino (藤野公代), the superintendent of the Board of Education, involved in the disciplinary process against Yabushita.
Ayaka Higashino as Togawa (戸川), one of Yabushita's fellow teachers.
Kisuke Iida as Judge Hashimoto (橋本), the presiding judge in the civil case.
Kira Miura as Takuto Himuro (氷室拓翔), Ritsuko and Takuma's son, around whom the entire case is built.
Fumino Kimura as Nozomi Yabushita (薮下希美), Yabushita's wife.
Ken Mitsuishi as Shigeharu Danta (段田重春), the principal of Yabushita's elementary school. Deeply concerned with self-preservation, he prioritizes protecting the institution and pressures Yabushita into admitting his guilt.
Kazuki Kitamura as Norio Yamato (大和紀夫), the lawyer representing Ritsuko.
Kaoru Kobayashi as Toshio Yugamidani (湯上谷年雄), Yabushita's defense lawyer, and the only lawyer initially willing to take his case.
Production Development The project began with Masumi Fukuda's 2007 nonfiction book Fabrication: The Truth About the Fukuoka ‘Murder Teacher’, which investigated a 2003 case in Fukuoka involving an elementary-school teacher accused of abusing a pupil. The case became a major media story, but the teacher ultimately denied the allegations in court and the accusations were found to have been fabricated.
The eventual producer, Kenichi Wasano of Toei Company, had read Fukuda's book but explained that he initially did not see a way to adapt it, as the story involved many real people and therefore seemed especially difficult for television. He later reread it several years before production and said to have been struck by how relevant its central issue had become in the social-media era, deciding to produce a film adaptation.
Takashi Miike was then hired as the director, as Wasano explained that he is "often misunderstood" but "actually very skilled at portraying people, and I decided to put my faith in that ability. I wanted to build on the sense of ‘discomfort’ I had felt, and I thought that Miike would be able to turn it into entertainment." Miike also added that this was "exactly the kind of thing I’ve wanted to make".
According to Miike, Fukuda's reportage was effectively what made the project possible, since it was an already researched journalistic account, and he did not have to spend years independently doing his own research by interviewing participants.
Filming Principal photography took place in August and September 2024. By 5 November 2024, Toei was already presenting the project to international buyers at the American Film Market while the film was in post-production.
Release The cast and project became public in 2025, with Gô Ayano, Kô Shibasaki and Kazuya Kamenashi revealed as the leading trio, and Sham had its World Premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival.
The film held its Japanese premiere event in Tokyo on June 16, 2025, and was released in Japan on June 27 as a nationwide theatrical release, following an extensive promotional campaign with character material, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and cast promotional videos.
After the Japanese release, the film screened at the Tribeca Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, and the International Film Festival of India.
Sham was theatrically released over a year later in France, on September 16, 2026.
As of October 2026, the film was only theatrically released in Japan, Taiwan, France and the United Kingdom.
Reception Critical response On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 82% of 17 critics' reviews are positive.
Scott Phillips of Forbes called Sham a "masterful combination of insightful screenwriting, compelling performances and unintrusive direction" and "a powerful piece of work that needs no technical embellishment", ranking it as the best film of the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival.
Siddhant Adlakha of Variety said the film "works until it very suddenly doesn’t, in a manner that — ironically — makes you question the nature of everything you’ve just seen, as though its successes were accidental or illusory."
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 3 stars out of 5 and praised Miike's handling of the film's conflicting perspectives, writing that "in the end, this film does not sit on the fence; there is no Rashomon-style mystery about where the truth lies."
References
External links Official website (in Japanese)