The 2005 bestseller "Sono Hi no Mae ni" has just been adapted to the big screen. Comedian Kiyotaka Nanbara (of Uchan Nanchan) co-stars with actress Hiromi Nagasaku, while the veteran Nobuhiko Obayashi directs and Shinichi Ichikawa handles the script.

The original novel was written by Naoki Prize-winning author Kiyoshi Shigematsu. Nanbara and Nagasaku play a married couple in their forties. One day, Nagasaku is unexpectedly diagnosed with a terminal illness, but together with her husband and son, she is determined to live her life to the fullest until that final day comes. Over the course of filming, which ended on June 13, Nagasaku shedded 4 kilograms and cut 30 centimeters off her hair to stay in character as the gradually dying wife.

Nanbara has worked with the director Obayashi before, previously starring in "Shichinin no Otaku" and "Nattu Odoru! Ninja Densetsu."

"Sono Hi no Mae ni" is expected to open in theaters this November.