When runaway teen Ju-Ju is embraced by a tribe of misfit youths in Kabukicho, she finds belonging for the first time — until betrayal and despair twist her haven into a prison, and she’s left with one way to take back control.

An extreme juxtaposition of formal radiance and narrative dread, Makoto Nagahisa’s latest feature is a transcendently colorful gut punch. Following We Are Little Zombies (2019 Sundance Film Festival) and his most recent short, Pisko the Crab Child is in Love (2024 Sundance Film Festival), Nagahisa executes his signature hypervibrance and unique character direction with finesse.

Nana Mori bravely embodies Ju-Ju, pendulating between the embrace of a decadent Tokyo street-kid culture and the call of her ambition toward saviorhood. Nagahisa taunts us with an urban world that’s beautifully rotten and addictive — a twisted labyrinth for both character and viewer, at the center of which is an expansive darkness that’s impossible to shake. A one-of-a-kind, energetic approach to generational trauma and youth culture, BURN exhibits a brand of nihilism that’s challenging, and rewarding, to experience. — CA

The following film contains mature content and is not recommended for audiences 17 and under.

This film contains strobe effects.

Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 29–February 1) and credentialed press and industry (January 28–February 1).