‘Faceless’ Netflix Ending Explained & Full Story: Did Kaburagi Prove His Innocence?

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What happens when a good person is failed by the system? He tries to overcome it by doing more good. That may not happen much in real life, but that’s the story of Netflix’s latest Japanese thriller drama, Faceless. While a proper, nail-biting thriller could have been made out of it, shedding all the unnecessary drama, this film chooses not to do that. It embraces the melodrama—and while I am not exactly a fan of that, I’ve got to say it actually works here. Faceless, despite having a very flimsy plot, is both entertaining and engaging. In case you didn’t know, the movie is an adaptation of a popular Japanese novel, which has already been adapted into a TV show. In this article, of course, we’re going to do a summary of it and discuss whether Kaburagi, our lead, actually receives a ‘not guilty’ verdict or not.

Spoilers Ahead


What Happens In The Movie?

As Faceless is quite plot heavy and has a narrative that shifts between linear and nonlinear—for cinematic value—I suppose it would be best to explain things to you in chronological order, so here we go. Eighteen-year-old Kaburagi was minding his own business in Higashimurayama, Japan, when he got tangled in the worst possible thing ever to happen to anyone. While walking down the street one day, Kaburagi heard screaming from a house nearby, and he went to check it out. Sure, a lot of people would probably have run away, but Kaburagi was a good guy. Upon reaching the house, he was horrified to find most of the family members lying on the floor in a pool of blood—they were all brutally murdered, except two. One had a shovel stuck in the back, and the other—Yoshiko, an elderly woman—was in shock, although unharmed. Both Yoshiko and Kaburagi got a good look at the killer, a middle-aged man named Kiyoto (revealed much later) with a psychopathic smile on his face. He left right after Kaburagi entered the house, though. Being a good person, Kaburagi’s first reaction was to try to save the one with the shovel in the back by taking it out. That was when police swarmed the scene and arrested Kaburagi. Despite him continuously claiming he was not responsible for the murders, the police didn’t listen. Yoshiko, unfortunately, was not in a sound state of mind to back Kaburagi’s statement. Kaburagi was ultimately handed a death penalty by the judge. Everyone, including police detective Matanuki, was convinced that he was, in fact, guilty. 

Cut to the present, Kaburagi pulls off an audacious escape after feigning sickness. The movie follows his journey afterward, where he keeps changing identities and travels to various places, but his goal remains constant—keep doing good things so that hopefully, one day, he gets to be a fully free man.


What does Kaburagi do after escaping?

There are many identities Kaburagi takes on as he moves around Japan, but the one we get to see first is our guy working at a construction company in Osaka. The company is notorious for exploiting their workers. When one of them, Kazuya, injures his leg in an accident at work, the company refuses to bear his medical expenses. Kaburagi, who goes by Benzo here, cannot accept this and stands up against the company doctor. In the process, Kazuya and he become really good friends. For Kazuya, Kaburagi/Benzo appears as the kind of friend who would do anything for him. And for Kaburagi, the other guy is probably the most uncomplicated man he has ever seen. Unfortunately, the good life doesn’t last long for Kaburagi, as thanks to the constant news bulletin (about the wanted fugitive), Kazuya realizes who his new friend is and plans to blow the whistle. We can’t blame him, given there’s a huge monetary reward that could possibly change his life; and also, he doesn’t know for a fact that Kaburagi is innocent (at this point, even the audience doesn’t). So ultimately, Kaburagi has to run before Matanuki and the police arrive. 

Next we see him in Tokyo as freelance writer Nasu, working mainly for one company. His editor, Sayaka Ando, is in awe of him for the kind of brilliant articles he produces every day. Sayaka is in quite a bit of trouble, though, personal life-wise, as her father is dealing with a false allegation of molestation. A journalist, Kuroshima, keeps pestering her regarding this matter. Nasu/Kaburagi mostly keeps to himself and uses a mask whenever he comes to the office. But as fate would have it, Sayaka takes him to dinner on a rainy day, and upon realizing Nasu doesn’t have a place to live, she takes him home. Despite being awkward initially, Nasu/Kaburagi become very close—it’s not quite romantic, but there’s an unmistakable chemistry. And given how Kaburagi inquires about a permanent position at Sayaka’s company, it is quite clear that he actually wants to be around her. Meanwhile, Sayaka’s father loses the case, and thanks to annoying journalist Kuroshima, she realizes that she’s harboring one of the most wanted fugitives in the country. But by now, Sayaka also believes that Kaburagi is actually innocent—because the gentleman who’s living with her and cooking amazing meals for her can’t be that vicious murderer. With what happened to her own father, Sayaka now knows for a fact that the legal system of the country is not something she can blindly trust. That’s why when Matanuki comes looking for Kaburagi (pretty certain it’s the journalist who called the police), Sayaka promptly helps Kaburagi get away. Instead of believing everything the media and police are saying, she decides to rely on her own judgment based on experience.

For someone like Kaburagi, working at a care facility only makes sense. Under the circumstances, the facility being in the middle of nowhere—Suwa City of Nagano Prefecture—is only logical. The freezing winter setup further adds volume to this plot. Kaburagi is now Sakurai, a soft-spoken attendant working at the facility, where Yoshiko is also admitted. Of course, he has come here for her only. He wants her to get better so that she can finally speak up about his innocence. But looking at her condition, that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. Meanwhile, Sakai, a local young girl, also joins the facility and develops a crush on Sakurai/Kaburagi. When she offers to show Sakurai around the area, he agrees (as he certainly doesn’t want to break her heart), but thanks to an innocent Instagram reel made by Sakai, things become dicey for the guy—if you know what I mean. 


Does Kaburagi Finally Get Caught By the Police?

With the reel going viral, it doesn’t take long for Matanuki to get on the move. However, by now the detective has also begun to doubt the earlier verdict that labeled Kaburagi as the murderer. The resurgence of Kiyoto, thanks to another series of murders that practically mirror the Higashimurayama killings, has further helped the cause. Police have managed to catch Kiyoto this time around, though it seems very much like the killer has surrendered himself. Anyway, despite pretty much believing in Kaburagi’s innocence, Matanuki does arrive at Suwa City with full force. Being a government servant, he has to follow the orders of his superior, who is hellbent on making sure that Kaburagi is brought to “justice”, as anything other than that means the police were wrong in the first place. Unfortunately, this is a common thing all around the world, where innocent people have to pay in order to cover up the government’s incompetence. Not to mention, the same government is supposed to protect them. 

Upon realizing this time he can’t get away, Kaburagi comes up with an idea, possibly the only one that can help him. He pretends to take Sakai hostage, then live streams a conversation with Yoshiko. This time around, she is able to say what needs to be said. In fact, she apologizes to Kaburagi for not being able to save him before. However, due to his superior’s order, Matanuki has no choice but to go inside the building and bring Kaburagi in. With the police inside, Kaburagi attempts to make an escape but finds himself at gunpoint. Matanuki, however, hesitates to take the shot, as he is all but certain that the guy he is after was never the murderer. But his assistant appears to have no qualms about following protocol, so he shoots Kaburagi instead. Thankfully, the young man still manages to survive.

A while after that, Matanuki meets Kaburagi in prison and asks why he escaped, to which Kaburagi responds by saying he only did it with the intention of doing good deeds. But in the process, he also made friends and realized he was enjoying life—which motivated him further to stay hidden as long as possible. All Kaburagi wanted was to live his life for a bit more time and also help people. With this, Matanuki now has zero doubt over Kaburagi’s innocence. Going against your corrupt superior is always a risky move, but Matanuki is courageous enough to pull that off—that too at a press conference. He takes the blame on himself, though, which probably saves his job as well. Quite naturally, with that announcement, Kaburagi’s appeal for another trial is finally granted. It wouldn’t be right of me if I didn’t mention that Sakai, Sayaka (along with her father) and Kazuya have come together and started a “justice for Kaburagi” movement. This is a clear example of what good deeds can do for you. Matanuki is also with them, albeit not directly. 


Does Kaburagi Prove His Innocence?

See, in my understanding, this is a story about how the Japanese system has a tendency to treat common people unfairly. Although this is not a country-specific thing, rather a global issue (except some Scandinavian countries maybe). The reason I’m bringing it up here is Kaburagi not being able to get out of the situation and ultimately losing in the end would have been way too shocking and quite pointless as an ending. And given the movie is backed by Netflix, targeting a global audience, it wouldn’t have made much sense either. So it’s a given that Kaburagi is going to finally have his freedom by the end, which he completely deserves, by the way. 

That’s why the ambiguity in the end, where the movie decides to go wordless just when the judge is about to give his “not guilty” verdict, is quite baffling. The only way I can explain that is director Fujii Michihito wants his audience to ponder over it further. But I also can’t back that up because even though we don’t get to hear that Kaburagi is not guilty with our own ears, his expression says it all. And going by the look of Sayaka, Sakai, Kazuya, and Matanuki, it is all but certain that the judge has found Kaburagi wrongly accused of murders and awarded him his freedom. That is the perfect ending for this movie, but the director really needed to make us hear it. Alternatively, he could have gone with dropping the curtains and making the screen go black the moment the judge says ‘and the verdict is…’ That way, the ambiguity would have been earned, and fans of the movie would have kept discussing it. I know some of you might not be able to make sense of this criticism, but when my job is to put movies under a microscopic lens, it becomes hard to ignore certain things. That said, I’ve got to say I did enjoy Faceless, mainly thanks to the engaging screenplay, assured direction, and solid acting from the cast—especially Ryusei Yokohama as Kaburagi, who has put a lot of effort into playing the part. In case you’re wondering about a sequel, I don’t see that happening. Kaburagi has suffered enough already. The guy deserves to live a good life filled with love and laughter from now on. 


Rohitavra Majumdar
Rohitavra Majumdar
Rohitavra likes to talk about movies, music, photography, food, and football. He has a government job to get by, but all those other things are what keep him going.


 

 

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