The Gesuidouz (Scottish Premiere)

Part of Dundead Film Festival 2025 - see the full programme and book a Festival Pass. 

Prolific Japanese rising-star director Kenichi Ugana writes and directs this charming and heartfelt comedy about a horror-obsessed punk band. 

Hanako (played by actress Natsuko, a former member of the Japanese idol group SDN48) is the lead singer of punk band the Gesuidouz. She is a horror fan, her apartment decorated in posters for classic films. She is also depressed, making no effort to hide her dreams of dying at the age of 27, just like her musical heroes. She and the band decamp to rural Japan where they aim to produce one final anthem and secure a gig headlining Glastonbury. This set-up might sound flippant, but Ugana shows real empathy for his heroine, and the film celebrates the importance of community and found family. There is a warmth to the filmmaking and anyone who has ever poured their heart into something creative will surely recognise some truth in many of the Gesuidouz’ struggles.

Deftly blending its understated fish-out-of-water comedy with surreal touches, (including a talking dog named after experimental composer John Cage), The Gesuidouz is also simply put one of the best films ever made about what it means to be a horror fan. A balm for the soul.