Sham

Synopsis

Seiichi Yabushita (Gô Ayano), a dedicated and well-liked elementary school teacher, finds his life instantly shattered when the mother of one of his students, Ritsuko Himuro (Ko Shibasaki), accuses him of racially motivated bullying and driving her son to attempt suicide.

The film begins with a harrowing horror-tinged sequence showing the teacher as a sadistic monster through the mother's eyes. However, the perspective soon shifts to Seiichi, who claims the entire ordeal is a "sham"—a fabricated nightmare fueled by a sensationalist media and a school system more concerned with saving face than seeking justice. As a massive civil lawsuit gains national attention, Seiichi must fight to reclaim his identity from a world that has already branded him a "killer teacher."