Yuumi Kawai, born on December 19, 2000, in Tokyo, Japan, is a prominent actress and model. She began her acting career in 2019 with the TV drama “INHAND” and made her film debut in 2020’s “A Beloved Wife.” In 2021, her performances in “It’s a Summer Film!” and “A Balance” garnered critical acclaim, earning her several awards, including Best Newcomer at the 43rd Yokohama Film Festival and Best New Actor at the 35th Takasaki Film Festival.
Although her prowess was evident essentially from the beginning of her career, 2024 was the year that catapulted her to stardom. Having played in 11 different titles, both TV and movies, she also had a huge impact with her starring roles in “Desert of Namimbia”, “She Taught Me Serendipity” and “A Girl Named Ann“, with the latter recently netting her a Japanese Academy Award for Best Actress. That the roles she plays are also quite different from each other highlight her range, cementhing the fact that she is an actress who is bound to become a star. Let us take a look at ten of her most memorable performances, in random order.
1. Ann in A Girl Named Ann (2024) by Yu Irie
Viewers sympathize with Ann, and Yuumi Kawai is an absolute tour de force here, breathing so much life and emotional power into this role (Sean Barry)
2. Hana Sakurada in She Taught Me Serendipity (2024) by Akiko Ooku
Regarding the acting, all actors give memorable performances. The way Riku Hagiwara‘s Toru and Yuumi Kawai’s Sakurada change through their interactions is impressive to watch, particularly because it actually happens two times. Their chemistry is quite good also.
3. Satsuki in Desert of Namibia (2024) by Yoko Yamanaka
Despite all the shortcomings of the picture, Yuumi Kawai delivers a solid performance, as a lost and confused person who isn’t concerned with societal norms and other people. Unfortunately, besides being highly emotional and egocentric, her character doesn’t have any significant qualities that would make her at least a little relatable, if not likeable. (Tobiasz Dunin)
4. Mei in A Balance (2020) by Yujiro Harumoto
Yuumi Kawai as Mei presents her character’s problematic status accurately, with the way she warms up to Yuko being the highlight of her performance.
5. Yumi in Like a Dragon: Yakuza (2024) by Sean Crouch and Yugo Nakamura
Yuumi Kawai as Yumi is also quite good as the naive little girl and the disillusioned madame in the second, with her obsession with Aiko and the issues it creates for her being also impressively portrayed.
6. Youko in In Her Room (2023) by Chihiro Ito
Satoru Iguchi as Susume, Fumika Baba as Miyako and Yuumi Kawai as Youko adopt and express the aforementioned atmosphere and the overall aesthetics of the movie in perfect resonance with them, all exhibiting a sense of enigma regarding their thoughts, actions and background that works quite well for the movie.
7. Manami in Sayonara, Girls (2022) by Shun Nakagawa
It’s the acting of the four young actresses, Yuumi Kawai, Rina Ono, Rinagisa Komiyama and Yumo Nakai, that gives the film its color. Manami’s story has the most evident devastating roots and Kawai portrays her well. (Adriana Rosati)
8. Yoko in Plan 75 (2022) by Chie Hayakawa
Plan 75 call center agents Yoko (Yuumi Kawai) and Hiromu are starting to examine their involvement with the project the moment they establish a connection with their customers, in Yoko’s case with a woman she slowly gets to meet better, and in Hiromu’s by developing strong emotions to his estranged uncle. Unfortunately, their characters are slightly underdeveloped, but nevertheless important to introduce a different perspective coming from young people. Kawai’s restrained yet deeply expressive acting added an essential human element to the film, making her one of its standout performers.
9. Misaki in Love Nonetheless (2022) by Hideo Jojo
The film also benefits the most by the rather fitting acting. Koji Seto as Koji presents the introverted bookworm in the most fittingly quirky fashion, with his interactions with Yumi Kawai‘s Misaki being quite amusing, also benefiting the most by the combination and resolve she exhibits.
10. Kickboard in It’s a Summer Film! (2020) by Soshi Masumoto
The process of watching Barefoot’s film get made is fun to watch in large part because of the actors’ charisma and their rapport with one another. The core friend group of Barefoot, Blue Hawaii, and Kickboard play off each other effortlessly, the dynamics of their relationships clear. Marika Ito, Yuumi Kawai, and Kilala Inori all share great chemistry, while Mahiru Koda is also charming as the happy-go-lucky rival filmmaker Karin. Inori’s Blue Hawaii, in particular, has an unexpected but very funny arc, with the actor giving contrasting performances in each half of the film. (Tom Wilmot)
