Review: ‘Burn’ is a bleak, J-pop inspired teenage fantasia
2026 / Dir. Makoto Nagahisa / 2026 Sundance Film Festival
Rating: 4/5
Watch if you like: Takashi Miike moonlighting as a guest director on Euphoria.
A nihilistic nightmare of teenage hell and kaleidoscopic style, Makoto Nagahisa’s Burn is one of the most unique films you’ll see this year, if not this decade. Drawing attention to the street kids of Tokyo’s Kabukicho district—known for its adult-themed entertainment of all types—Burn follows JuJu (Nana Mori), a teenage runaway escaping abuse, only to find endless horrors while living on the street. While undeniably bleak, Burn’s stylistic excesses separate it from similarly bleak tales of childhood trauma like Christiane F. or Lilya 4-ever.
Burn can feel reminiscent of another Japanese midnight movie, House, for all its visual shifts and cinematic tricks. From gritty digital realism to dreamy, chaotic J-pop-inspired editing, this movie has it all: miniatures, POV sex toy shots, Silent Hill-esque horror distortions, and even an absurdly catchy song about “just chillin’, watching chihuahuas.” Rather than empty provocations, these cinematic flourishes feel integral to creating this teenage fantasia that, even as it narratively goes to expectedly dark places, always feels exciting and fresh.