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Day Bye Day

Hirofumi and Shinobu are emissaries from space. Without a will of their own, they are lifeforms united with their planet. Their goal is to explore the special power that only humans possess: the heart.
Set in a quiet mountain village, a mysterious week begins with these expressionless alien and the villagers.
A fantasy about alien interaction woven with laughter, emotion, and elements of science fiction!
What are humans? What is the heart? What is the truth that the aliens have discovered?!

We say goodbye repeatedly, yet we continue to build each day by day.

To capture the true 'heart' of the region, I spent significant time conducting fieldwork in Kawauchi. The screenplay was built upon the voices and lived experiences of the locals. By having the villagers perform alongside our professional cast, we aimed to create a unique cinematic space where the boundary between the cosmic perspective and local reality dissolves.

  • Takuya Matsumoto
    Director
  • Takuya Matsumoto
    Writer
  • Tatsuma Goto
    Key Cast
    "Hirofumi"
  • Erina
    Key Cast
    "Shinobu"
  • Kana Satouchi
    Key Cast
    "Yuka"
  • Natsumi Nakajo
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 23 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 25, 2026
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    Japanese
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Takuya Matsumoto

Born in 1976 in Tokyo, Japan. After a decade-long career as a professional comedy duo, Takuya transitioned to filmmaking, bringing a unique sense of timing and a profound perspective on human nature to his work. Known for his "slightly surreal" storytelling, his films have consistently garnered critical acclaim, winning numerous awards at both domestic and international film festivals.
In his latest feature, Day Bye Day, Takuya explores the essence of the human "heart" through a blend of sci-fi and human drama, filmed on location in Kawauchi Village, Fukushima. The film features a notable cast, including Erina (Netflix's The Queen of Villains) and Kana Satouchi (Sasakure), showcasing Takuya’s ability to draw out nuanced, powerful performances within imaginative narratives.

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Director Statement

What does it mean to have a "heart"? Even with our advanced science, the true nature of human emotion remains an enigma. This film is an attempt to rediscover the preciousness of our daily lives and the complexity of our feelings by looking through the extreme lens of "aliens" who possess no individual will or emotion.

The setting of the film, Kawauchi Village in Fukushima, is a place where nature is lush and time flows quietly. Through dialogues with the local people who have overcome the immense hardships of the 2011 disaster, I was deeply moved by their resilience and kindness. I deliberately chose to introduce "Slightly Surreal" (SF) elements—aliens and a frog statue inhabited by a soul—into this very real, grounded location. I believe that it is precisely when reality and the surreal collide that the essence of humanity is most clearly revealed.

The title Day Bye Day carries a triple meaning: the passage of time (day by day), the act of saying "bye" to those we must leave behind, and letting go of one’s old self to embrace change.

My hope is that after watching this film, the audience will feel a little more tenderness toward the "hearts" of those standing right beside them.