Athlete (2019): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2019, Athlete is a notable film directed by Takamasa Oe, running about 88 minutes. “I want to live my life being me.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. A former athlete, Kōhei is a swimmer with a wife and child. One day his wife asks him to sign the divorce papers. From shock, he escapes to alcohol, finding himself one night in Tokyo’s gay district, Shinjuku Ni-chōme, where his fateful meeting awaits with Yūtaka, a beautiful twink. Yūtaka makes a living from live sex webcams with men, but his dream is to become an anime creator. Yūtaka however is tortured because he still hadn't come out to his father who collapsed from illness. Kōhei and Yūtaka both carry a cross. They hesitate but can't stop being drawn to each other as if they need each other. The two fall for each other, even at times hurting the other. Kōhei however begins to struggle about what it means "to love somebody" and questions his "sexuality", through his contacts with different personalities in the gay district. Meanwhile, Yūtaka encounters his gay ex Atsushi, and starts to realize he will never be able to be with Kōhei, who is gay-for-pay.

Who’s in it. Athlete stars Joe Nakamura, Kondo Yohdi, Reina Tasaki and Yoshiaki Umegaki.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.9/10, Athlete has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Athlete page.