Set against the backdrop of postwar Japan, Burning Sky follows Mitsuyasu Maeno, an ambitious young actor drawn to a world as volatile and unpredictable as himself. Though celebrated for his performances in the lurid roman porno films that defined Japanese cinema’s fringes, Maeno feels his true destiny lies beyond the screen. Drawn to ultranationalist ideals and disillusioned by the moral decay he perceives around him, he becomes captivated by Yoshio Kodama, a tycoon and political kingmaker entangled in the infamous Lockheed bribery scandal.
As Maeno’s fervor grows, he begins to view Kodama as the embodiment of everything wrong with the country he loves. Obsessed with enacting his brand of justice, he devises an audacious plan to assassinate Kodama by crashing a plane into his estate. On March 23, 1976, Maeno’s fiery journey reaches its tragic crescendo, leaving behind questions about the fine line between patriotism and fanaticism, celebrity and martyrdom.
