{{Infobox film | name = Baka's Identity | image = File:Baka's_Identity_2025_Movie_Poster.jpg | alt = | caption = | native_name = {{Infobox name module|ja|愚か者の身分}} | director = Koto Nagata | screenplay = Kosuke Mukai | based_on = {{based on|''Orokamono no Mibun''|Jun Nishio}} | producer = Akira Morii<br/>Kumi Kobata<br/>Kazuya Shimomura | starring = Takumi Kitamura<br/>Yuta Hayashi<br>Go Ayano | cinematography = Tomoo Ezaki | editing = Ryuji Miyajima | music = Yoshiaki Dewa | production_companies = The Seven<br/>Lat-Lon | distributor = The Seven<br/>Showgate | released = {{Film date|2025|10|24|Japan}} | runtime = 130 minutes<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 22, 2026 |title=''BAKA's Identity'' (15) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/bakas-identity-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmta5nzm3 |access-date=January 23, 2026 |website=British Board of Film Classification |language=en}}</ref> | country = Japan | language = Japanese | budget = | gross = }} '''''Baka's Identity''''' is a 2025 Japanese crime film directed by Koto Nagata and written by Kosuke Mukai, based on Jun Nishio's 2019 novel ''Orokamono no Mibun''. The plot explores Japanese youth poverty in criminal underworld through the perspectives of a trio of young men who work as internet scammers.'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |date=2025-04-17 |title=Takumi Kitamura Leads the Seven’s First Feature Film ‘Baka’s Identity’ |url=https://variety.com/2025/film/news/takumi-kitamura-the-seven-first-feature-film-bakas-identity-1236372212/ |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>'''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Schley |first=Matt |title=‘Baka’s Identity’ filmmakers talk exposing youth poverty in Tokyo |url=https://www.screendaily.com/features/bakas-identity-filmmakers-talk-exposing-youth-poverty-in-tokyo/5209146.article |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=Screen |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-19 |title='BAKA's Identity' shines spotlight on youth poverty in Japan - The Korea Times |url=https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20250919/biff-2025-bakas-identity-shines-spotlight-on-youth-poverty-in-japan |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=www.koreatimes.co.kr |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Kerr |first=Elizabeth |title=‘Baka’s Identity’ review: A trio of Japanese internet scammers attempt to escape their life of crime |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/bakas-identity-review-a-trio-of-japanese-internet-scammers-attempt-to-escape-their-life-of-crime/5208985.article |access-date=2025-09-27 |website=Screen |language=en}}</ref>
The film premiered at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival in competition and was theatrically released in Japan on October 24, 2025.<ref name=":0" />
== Premise == The movie stars Takumi Kitamura, Go Ayano, and Yuta Hayashi as three young men who make a living by pretending to be young women and tricking men out of their identity papers that they can resell to others trying to establish a new life.<ref name=":0" />
Mamoru (Yuta Hayashi) and Takuya (Kitamura) as a pair chat up young men online, while sending in their female associate (Mizuka Yamashita) to convince men to sell their identities to “her”. The three work under their boss Sato (Goichi Mine).'''<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Tsui |first=Clarence |date=2025-09-18 |title=Baka’s Identity |url=https://thefilmverdict.com/bakas-identity/ |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=The Film Verdict |language=en-US}}</ref>''' The film tracks the descent of the three protagonists as they fool others and are scammed themselves.<ref name=":6" />
“Baka” is the Japanese word for idiot or fool, referring to the victims of the trio's Internet scams. <ref name=":2" />
==Cast== *Takumi Kitamura as Takuya Matsumoto *Yuta Hayashi as Mamoru Kakizaki *Mizuki Yamashita as Kisara Makihara *Yuma Yamoto as Haruto Egawa (Yuto Taniguchi) *Haruka Kinami as Yuika *Kazuya Tanabe as George (Joji Ichioka) *Goichi Mine as Sato *Masaki Kaji as Kaizuka *Yuya Matsuura as Toshio Maeda (Todoroki) *Go Ayano as Kenshi Kajitani
== Development == Jun's 2019 novel, which told the story of youth in Tokyo's Kabukicho red light district, was a sprawling narrative with numerous interconnected characters. Nagata and screenwriter Kosuke Muka chose to focus the script on three characters.<ref name=":1" />
==Accolades== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Award ! Category ! Recipient(s) ! Result ! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |- |47th Yokohama Film Festival |Best Newcomer |Yuta Hayashi |{{won}} |<ref>{{cite web|url= https://yokohama-eigasai.o.oo7.jp/47-2025/47_2025_shou.html|title= 2025年日本映画個人賞|access-date= 7 December 2025|website= Yokohama Film Festival|language= ja|archive-date= 18 January 2026|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20260118204543/https://yokohama-eigasai.o.oo7.jp/47-2025/47_2025_shou.html|url-status= live}}</ref> |- |rowspan=2|38th Nikkan Sports Film Awards |Best Actor |Takumi Kitamura |{{Nominated}} |<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202511120000623.html|title= 【映画大賞】「国宝」が7部門で11ノミネート、「宝島」が6部門／ノミネート全リスト|access-date= 14 November 2025|date= 13 November 2025|website= Nikkan Sports|language= ja|archive-date= 15 January 2026|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20260115213028/https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202511120000623.html|url-status= live}}</ref> |- |Best Newcomer |Yuta Hayashi |{{won}} |<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202512270000143.html|title= 【映画大賞】「国宝」が史上最多の6冠 主演男優賞は吉沢亮、主演女優賞は広瀬すず|access-date= 28 December 2025|date= 28 December 2025|website= Nikkan Sports|language=ja}}</ref> |- |rowspan=2|80th Mainichi Film Awards |Best Newcomer |Yuta Hayashi |{{won}} |rowspan=2|<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.sponichi.co.jp/entertainment/news/2025/12/19/articles/20251218s00041000226000c.html|title= 毎日映画コンクール「国宝」が最多10部門ノミネート! 主演俳優賞候補に吉沢亮、来年1・16各賞発表|access-date= 19 December 2025|date= 19 December 2025|website= Sponichi|language=ja}}</ref><br /><ref>{{cite web|url= https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/656321|title= 第80回毎日映画コンクール「敵」が日本映画大賞、「国宝」は最多7冠 主演賞に吉沢亮|access-date= 16 January 2026|date= 16 January 2026|website= Natalie|language= ja|archive-date= 31 January 2026|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20260131194859/https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/656321|url-status= live}}</ref> |- |Best Screenplay |Kosuke Mukai |{{Nominated}} |- |68th Blue Ribbon Awards |Best Actor |Takumi Kitamura |{{Nominated}} |<ref>{{cite web |url= https://hochi.news/articles/20260104-OHT1T51173.html?page=1|title= ブルーリボン賞ノミネートが決定 映画「国宝」が最多5部門8ノミネート「宝島」「ナイトフラワー」が続く|access-date= 5 January 2026|date= 5 January 2026|website= Sports Hochi|language=ja}}</ref> |- |}
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Japanese crime thriller films Category:Films about organized crime in Japan Category:Films set in Tokyo Category:Films set in Yamanashi Prefecture Category:Films set in apartment buildings Category:Films based on Japanese novels Category:Films based on crime novels Category:Films based on thriller novels Category:2025 films Category:2025 Japanese-language films Category:2025 crime films Category:2025 thriller films Category:2025 Japanese films