Still from “Let Me Eat Your Pancreas” (BIFF)

A romance film titled “Let Me Eat Your Pancreas” has become one of the most talked-about films among festivalgoers at this year’s Busan International Film Festival.

The Japanese film directed by Sho Tsukikawa and starring Minami Hamabe, Takumi Kitamura and Shun Oguri, is based on a 2015 novel of the same titled by Yoru Sumino, which became a bestseller in Japan.

In the film, the protagonist, a high school student, discovers that his popular classmate Sakura is suffering from a pancreatic disease and spends time with her, but Sakura ends up dying.

“The title is a bit scary but it’s a very moving film,” director Tsukikawa said in a press conference at the Busan Cinema Center Sunday. “It’s about a young boy who does not want to be in a relationship with anyone, but one day he happens to discover the secret of the most popular girl in the class … and realizes the closer he gets to her, his time with her is limited.”

“I could understand how the changing of the seasons is beautiful (through this film),” said Hamabe.

The film opens in local theaters on Oct. 25.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)