About the film

A small town. A tangled mystery. A man in a bear suit draws its residents into an unexpected entanglement. Bear Entanglement is a dark comedy suspense film about people, nature and forgiveness.

Film festivals

Official Selection35th St. Louis International Film Festival

Official Selection

35th St. Louis International Film Festival (USA)

Saturday, November 14, 2026, 8:30 pm (local time) / Arkadin Cinema & Bar, St. Louis, Missouri

Founded in 1992 and presented every year by the nonprofit arts organization Cinema St. Louis, the St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) brings independent films from around the world to audiences in St. Louis, Missouri.

It is one of approximately 85 U.S. film festivals sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and winners of its Short Film Spotlight become eligible for an Oscar® nomination.

Bear Entanglement has been selected to screen at this year’s 35th edition, in four sections: Asian Focus, Human Rights Spotlight, Human Ties and International Spotlight. If you are in the area, we would love to see you there.

Festival film page ↗

Reviews

“an intriguing and surprisingly moving film about vulnerability”

Asian Movie Pulse / Rouven Linnarz (November 10, 2026)Read the review ↗

“The strong acting, the music and the character exploration add high standards to this feature.”

UK Film Review / Jason Knight (November 11, 2026)Read the review ↗

The long-haired, bearded protagonist turns in the forest. — BEAR ENTANGLEMENT — A SCENE FROM THE FILM

Bear Entanglement film poster, featuring a man in a bear suit against a pink background.

Synopsis

Satoshi, a bear hunter, lives a quiet life with his wife, Sachi, who cannot speak. Their peaceful routine is disrupted when Kazuhiko arrives wearing an unsettling bear suit. Why has he come dressed as a bear, and what does he want from Satoshi? As Kazuhiko’s motives begin to emerge, so does a past that Satoshi refuses to confront. In a small town, their lives become tangled together. What begins as a strange encounter soon takes an unexpected turn.

A woman holding a bamboo object looks toward someone indoors.

Teasers

Teaser 1

Watch on YouTube ↗

Teaser 2

Watch on YouTube ↗

Japanese-language teasers.

Official YouTube channel ↗

Cast & crew

Hico Oshiro

Kazuhiko Ebata

Yuki Osawa

Satoshi Kimura

Arisa Arisugawa

Sachi Kimura

View all cast

Role: Kazuhiko Ebata: Hico Oshiro
Role: Satoshi Kimura: Yuki Osawa
Role: Sachi Kimura: Arisa Arisugawa
Role: Kenta Kimura: Hiroaki Kono
Role: Kanji Arakawa: Setsuna Okuyama
Role: Aoi Ebata: Rena Mashita
Role: Yokichi: Bunichi Suzuki
Role: Man A in supermarket: Shinjiro Takahashi
Role: Satoshi’s Boss: Takayuki Miyoshi
Role: Town hall employee A: Yoichiro Kawakami
Role: Doctor: Umi Todo
Role: School Boy A: Ryua Sakamoto
Role: School Boy B: Onosuke Saito
Role: School Boy C: Shiden Nakamura
Role: Hiker A: Hironobu Taira
Role: Hiker B: Riku Saito
Role: Gun Shop Manager: Kiyoshi Ando
Role: Satoshi’s Father: Kohei Mashiba
Role: Man B in supermarket: Manzo Katayama
Role: Police B in Police Station: Taizo
Role: Police A in Police Station: Yuto Onji
Role: Gun Shop Clerk: Hide
Role: Detective: Makihiko Araki
Role: Nurse: Kyoko Nishimoto
Role: Hunting Leader: Toriji
Role: Satoshi’s colleague: Keiko Namba
Role: Cashier: Natsuko Ishizuka
Role: Lawyer: Daisuke Namiki
Role: Security Guy: Satoshi Komori
Role: Police A, Bear: Koji Kawauchi
Role: Police B: Koyo Saito
Role: Cafe Clerk: Iori Iwata
Role: Town hall employee B: Takara Yoshioka
Role: School Girl A: Kanna Yamashita
Role: School Girl B: Nanami Sakura
Role: Customer at sushi restaurant: Satoru Katayama
Role: Customer A: Sayuri Hirano
Role: Customer B: Yoko Ozawa
Role: Customer C: Kazue Ijima
Role: Customer D: Junko Imaseki
Role: Customer E: Yuriko Sunada
Role: Customer F: Norimi Ishibashi
Role: Customer G: Yuriko Yoshino
Role: Customer H: Taeko Izawa

Crew

Director: Ted Sharks
Producers: Ted Sharks / Hico Oshiro
Screenplay: Setsuna Okuyama / Hico Oshiro / Ted Sharks
Director of Photography: Daichi Mikasa
Production Design: Ted Sharks
Costume Design: Ted Sharks
Editor: Ted Sharks
Casting: Hico Oshiro
Assistant Camera: Akihito Mizui / Masashi / Takuya Shirasawa / Shoki Nagamine / Sakura Daiku / Masamitsu Kani / Haruhiko Tanizaki / Arata Etoba / Kenichiro Morimura
Chief Lighting Technician: Ryosuke Okaue
Lighting Department: Sevior Tetsuto / Seifuku Minami
Production Sound Mixer: Toriji
Production: Azusa Kanda
Special Makeup Effects: Ayako Tsuge
Hair & Makeup (Kazuhiko): Ayaka Krauser
Driver: Takara Yoshioka
Bear Suit Costume Design: Yucco
Script Supervisor: Setsuna Okuyama
Music Supervisors: Tommy Kikuchi (RightTracks Inc.) / Ted Sharks
Sound Mixer: Hajime Komiya
Dubbing Operator: Fumika Mori
Poster Designer: Masaki Horigome
Hunting Advisor: Tamotsu Kanda
Location Managers: Hico Oshiro / Ted Sharks / Azusa Kanda
Digital Paint Artist: Takashi Ishida

Music

Fuge G-Dur

Written by D. Buxtehude Organ: Kazuki Tomita

BWV 1119 (Wo soll ich fliehen hin)

Written by J.S. Bach Organ: Kazuki Tomita

Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein

Written by N. Hanff Organ: Kazuki Tomita

Mein junges Leben hat ein End

Written by J.P. Sweelinck Organ: Kazuki Tomita

BWV 641 (Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein)

Written by J.S. Bach Organ: Kazuki Tomita

BWV 508 (Bist du bei mir)

Written by J.S. Bach / G.H. Stölzel Baroque cello: Yorie Nakajima Organ: Kazuki Tomita Soprano: Keiko Urata

Canon a3 "Ave Maris Stella" SwWV 193

Written by J.P. Sweelinck Organ: Kazuki Tomita

kid feat. Yuga

Lyrics by Ryu (Ryu Matsuyama) Written by Ryu Matsuyama

Film details

Title: Bear Entanglement
Year: 2026
Runtime: 102 min
Release: Screening at a U.S. film festival, November 2026

Director: Ted Sharks Cast: Hico Oshiro, Yuki Osawa, Arisa Arisugawa and others

Screenings & streaming

Screening at a U.S. film festival, November 2026

Bear Entanglement will screen on Saturday, November 14, 2026 at the 35th St. Louis International Film Festival in the United States. See “Film festivals” on this page for details. Other screening and streaming dates have not yet been announced. We continue to submit to film festivals and work toward a theatrical release, and updates will appear on this page and our official Instagram.

Follow on Instagram ↗Screening & press enquiries