Lovin’ Her and Kokuhaku at Kashish Film Festival 2025 embraced identity and a lifetime of memories in an unconventional way

Lovin’ Her and Kokuhaku were screened under the Face2Face category at Kashish Film Festival this year and both the short stories left us with some much needed food for thought!

Lovin’ Her review: An elderly trans woman navigates the complexities of life, identity and memories as she battles with early signs of Alzheimer's. Her memories come as a sudden flash to her when she re-visits her early days of coming out to the world. She was vibrant, vivacious and lived her life through her love for dance. Fast forward to present day, her stories, her experiences all live deep within her eyes like they still have a lot to say. She is also blessed with a partner who wants to be with her every step of the way during her treatment. Whether she recognises her or not, to her partner it’s all about loving her regardless of her fading memory today. 

The film portrays how our life can be an absolute contrast if we compare our youth to when we age one day. In a world where the trans community constantly faces hate, to see one be celebrated and loved all her life was a refreshing watch for once! As someone in her late twenties, who feels iffy about the concept of ageing, this film came by as a much needed reminder that with the right person by your side, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all!

Also Read: Kashish Film Festival 2025: Indian Masala Mix 2 defined what short stories with big impact feel like!

Kokuhaku review: Directed by Adrià Guxens, Kokuhaku revolves around Tadashi, a young Spanish-Japanese actor who plays female characters in Japanese theatre plays. During an interview, he returns to the past to relive his most  vulnerable moments. Spanning right from when he came out to his parents, his heartbreaking conversion therapy, to finally fleeing from home and finding freedom in a big city like Tokyo, Tadashi’s journey is one for the books. Even though he’s had enough and more intimidating moments in life, he still somehow found his wings to fly high and do what he loves for a living. He beautifully honors his Japanese and Spanish roots in the film and the burst of two cultures only adds to the film’s distinctiveness. Kokuhaku takes you to Japan for a quick minute and shows you how a heart to heart conversation with the right person can give your inner child some much needed closure. 

Lovin' Her and Kokuhaku had their Indian premiere at Kashish Film Festival this year!

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