Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the “Evil Does Not Exist,” the latest film from Japanese writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose “Drive My Car” won Best International Film at the 2022 Oscars. In select theaters since May 10, 2024. See local listings.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
The film involves a Japanese village within driving distance of Tokyo, pristine in its state of nature and populated by indigenous villagers for several generations. A developer from Tokyo intends to build a “glamping” site … short for luxurious “glamour camping” … to exploit the area’s nature for vacationers. When a meeting is held with the villagers regarding the build-out, there is a questioning to representatives Takahashi (Ryuji Osaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani) regarding legitimate environmental concerns, especially from Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) the village leader and widower father of daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). When the Tokyo developers ignore the rep’s report, and demand that they alter the villager’s attitudes,...
Rating: 5.0/5.0
The film involves a Japanese village within driving distance of Tokyo, pristine in its state of nature and populated by indigenous villagers for several generations. A developer from Tokyo intends to build a “glamping” site … short for luxurious “glamour camping” … to exploit the area’s nature for vacationers. When a meeting is held with the villagers regarding the build-out, there is a questioning to representatives Takahashi (Ryuji Osaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani) regarding legitimate environmental concerns, especially from Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) the village leader and widower father of daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). When the Tokyo developers ignore the rep’s report, and demand that they alter the villager’s attitudes,...
- 5/12/2024
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
“I’m back,” Hamaguchi Ryûsuke exuberantly proclaimed—in English no less—when introducing his latest film, Evil Does Not Exist, to a rapturous response from a New York Film Festival crowd in 2023. His punchy opening line was more overtly declarative than the work he was there to present. After his two-release breakout year in 2021 culminated in an Oscar victory for Drive My Car, Hamaguchi might have taken the familiar path of following up such a win with a big directorial proclamation. Instead, his latest feature belies the nature of its title and proves to be more of a question than a statement.
Some of this may be due to the genesis of Evil Does Not Exist, which doesn’t lie entirely with Hamaguchi himself. Ishibashi Eiko, his composer on Drive My Car, approached the director to create footage to accompany her live performances. Inspiration struck, and Hamaguchi’s remit expanded...
Some of this may be due to the genesis of Evil Does Not Exist, which doesn’t lie entirely with Hamaguchi himself. Ishibashi Eiko, his composer on Drive My Car, approached the director to create footage to accompany her live performances. Inspiration struck, and Hamaguchi’s remit expanded...
- 5/7/2024
- by Marshall Shaffer
- Slant Magazine
It’s been a rough few weeks for indies but May is here with a handful of hopefuls looking to rev up the market — from A24’s buzzy I Saw The TV Glow to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Venice award-winning Evil Does Not Exist. A documentary about Anita Pallenberg featuring Scarlett Johansson hits theaters, with a French animated sci-fi set on Mars, and a Flannery O’Conner biopic by Ethan Hawke.
I Saw The TV Glow is written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going To The World’s Fair) and produced by Emma Stone under her Fruit Tree Banner. The horror-thriller that gripped Sundance (Deadline review called it a “trippy gut punch”) then SXSW follows a teenager named Owen trying to make it through life in the suburbs. The weirdness starts when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show, a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own.
I Saw The TV Glow is written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (We’re All Going To The World’s Fair) and produced by Emma Stone under her Fruit Tree Banner. The horror-thriller that gripped Sundance (Deadline review called it a “trippy gut punch”) then SXSW follows a teenager named Owen trying to make it through life in the suburbs. The weirdness starts when his classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night TV show, a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own.
- 5/3/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The opening, multi-minute shot of “Evil Does Not Exist” stares upwards at the trees, floating backwards through the forest, while Eiko Ishibashi’s haunting score casts a spell on us. It’s contemplative but not peaceful; weirdly arresting, like a thriller with no tangible thrills. It’s almost a shock when the story kicks in, but writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi looks at his characters much the same way. He’s fascinated and concerned by who they are and what they might do, and he watches them float by.
Hamaguchi’s previous film, “Drive My Car,” was a nearly three-hour drama about a man directing a stage version of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” where every character speaks a different language. Along the way, he formed a relationship with his production-mandated chauffeur who — fittingly enough — drives his car, as they listen to recordings of his recently-deceased wife reading the script. You...
Hamaguchi’s previous film, “Drive My Car,” was a nearly three-hour drama about a man directing a stage version of Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” where every character speaks a different language. Along the way, he formed a relationship with his production-mandated chauffeur who — fittingly enough — drives his car, as they listen to recordings of his recently-deceased wife reading the script. You...
- 5/3/2024
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Ryo Nishikawa in Evil Does Not ExistImage: Janus Films
Evil Does Not Exist takes its time. At the beginning there’s foreboding music on the soundtrack as the camera moves across nature and vegetation. Then a character appears out of nowhere, startling the audience. Almost half an hour passes before a character even speaks.
Evil Does Not Exist takes its time. At the beginning there’s foreboding music on the soundtrack as the camera moves across nature and vegetation. Then a character appears out of nowhere, startling the audience. Almost half an hour passes before a character even speaks.
- 5/2/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- avclub.com
After years of making films in his native Japan, writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi found unexpected global success in 2021 with “Drive My Car.”
Adapted and expanded from short stories by Haruki Murakami, it’s an exquisite drama about a grieving theater director staging a multilingual “Uncle Vanya,” and his relationship with the pensive young woman employed to drive his cherry-red Saab.
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, where Hamaguchi and co-writer Takamasa Oe won the Best Screenplay prize, “Drive My Car” went on to dominate the fall festival circuit. The film clocked up an astonishing four nominations at the 2022 Oscars, including Best Picture and a Best Director nod for Hamaguchi, and went on to win Japan’s first Oscar for Best International Film.
Hamaguchi’s latest film, “Evil Does Not Exist” is to some extent a response to that overwhelming acclaim. “I knew that I wanted my next work to be very...
Adapted and expanded from short stories by Haruki Murakami, it’s an exquisite drama about a grieving theater director staging a multilingual “Uncle Vanya,” and his relationship with the pensive young woman employed to drive his cherry-red Saab.
Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, where Hamaguchi and co-writer Takamasa Oe won the Best Screenplay prize, “Drive My Car” went on to dominate the fall festival circuit. The film clocked up an astonishing four nominations at the 2022 Oscars, including Best Picture and a Best Director nod for Hamaguchi, and went on to win Japan’s first Oscar for Best International Film.
Hamaguchi’s latest film, “Evil Does Not Exist” is to some extent a response to that overwhelming acclaim. “I knew that I wanted my next work to be very...
- 4/30/2024
- by John Forde
- Indiewire
Clockwise from bottom left: Good One (Metrograph Pictures), Deadpool & Wolverine (Disney/Marvel), The Watchers (Warner Bros.), Alien: Romulus (20th Century Studios)Graphic: The A.V. Club
Yesterday, we took a look at the films that really stand out to us this summer, but there are still plenty of other movies on...
Yesterday, we took a look at the films that really stand out to us this summer, but there are still plenty of other movies on...
- 4/30/2024
- by Jen Lennon, Drew Gillis, Cindy White, Jacob Oller, Matt Schimkowitz, and Saloni Gajjar
- avclub.com
Evil Does Not ExistPhoto: Janus Films
There are few things more bone-chilling than the real-life evils set upon our planet and its people each and every day. This is the type of horror Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is contending with in Evil Does Not Exist, the stirring and eerie follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2021 film,...
There are few things more bone-chilling than the real-life evils set upon our planet and its people each and every day. This is the type of horror Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is contending with in Evil Does Not Exist, the stirring and eerie follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2021 film,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Emma Keates
- avclub.com
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi became globally known after the success of Drive My Car, which earned him three major Oscar nominations, and one win (Best International Feature). After adapting Haruki Murakami’s short story, Hamaguchi has moved on to a new project, which was presented to audiences last year in Venice, where it won five out of the six awards it was nominated for. Evil Does Not Exist is the movie we are talking about, and ahead of this year’s American premiere, an official trailer for the movie has been released.
The movie is based on an original screenplay by Hamaguchi and based on the success it has had so far, the movie is slated to be another big hit for the Japanese filmmaker, which might earn him several awards later this year and next year.
The film will feature Hitoshi Omika as Takumi, Ryo Nishikawa as Hana, Ryuji Kosaka as Takahashi,...
The movie is based on an original screenplay by Hamaguchi and based on the success it has had so far, the movie is slated to be another big hit for the Japanese filmmaker, which might earn him several awards later this year and next year.
The film will feature Hitoshi Omika as Takumi, Ryo Nishikawa as Hana, Ryuji Kosaka as Takahashi,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
"If you go overboard, you upset the balance." Janus Films has revealed an official US trailer for the latest film from Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi called Evil Does Not Exist. After winning an Oscar two years ago for his highly acclaimed Drive My Car, Hamaguchi went back home and ended up making this smaller, much quieter little film that could be described as an eco thriller or even eco fable. Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, near Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a glamping site near Takumi's house offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to nature. But it will disrupt the way of life for many of the local villagers, who ask for them to make changes. The film stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani, Hazuki Kikuchi, and Hiroyuki Miura. This premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
One of the best surprises in cinema this past year was the news that Ryusuke Hamaguchi, just two years after his perfect one-two punch of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Drive My Car, had secretly shot and completed another film that was to premiere at the Venice Film Festival. After picking up the Grand Jury Prize there, the serene and expertly scripted Evil Does Not Exist will now roll out to kick off the summer movie season courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films. Ahead of the U.S. release, the new trailer and poster have arrived.
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi,...
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi retreated into a rural village outside of Tokyo to make “Evil Does Not Exist,” his first film following the global success of “Drive My Car,” which won the 2022 Best International Feature Oscar. The Japanese director found himself perhaps uncomfortably in the worldwide spotlight after being known for indies like “Asako I & II” and “Happy Hour,” and so “Evil Does Not Exist,” winner of the 2023 Venice Silver Lion and Fipresci prizes, is a return to minimalist basics — an ecological parable wrapped up with unexpected thriller elements, and a movie he shot in secret.
IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film, out in U.S. theaters May 3 from Sideshow and Janus Films, below. While “Evil Does Not Exist” wasn’t eligible for the International Feature Oscar due to its release date in Japan, Hamaguchi had a great run at the 2022 Academy Awards — along with the “Drive My Car” International Feature win,...
IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film, out in U.S. theaters May 3 from Sideshow and Janus Films, below. While “Evil Does Not Exist” wasn’t eligible for the International Feature Oscar due to its release date in Japan, Hamaguchi had a great run at the 2022 Academy Awards — along with the “Drive My Car” International Feature win,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi has quietly been cementing himself as one of the most interesting filmmakers currently at work, rightly earning international awards and nominations for his previous film Drive My Car. His latest venture, the environmentally conscious thriller Evil Does Not Exist, will only enhance his growing reputation.
The film takes place in a remote mountain community not far from Tokyo. Everybody knows everybody and the inhabitants are responsible for each other and for their pristine environment. The hero is Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), a taciturn widower who lives with his young daughter Hana. He is the archetypal woodsman: he knows about all the flora and fauna in the area, he chops wood, he collects the pure mountain water from the brook, he notes all the changes in his surroundings, and he imparts all this knowledge and love of nature to Hana. That pure water is an essential ingredient to...
The film takes place in a remote mountain community not far from Tokyo. Everybody knows everybody and the inhabitants are responsible for each other and for their pristine environment. The hero is Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), a taciturn widower who lives with his young daughter Hana. He is the archetypal woodsman: he knows about all the flora and fauna in the area, he chops wood, he collects the pure mountain water from the brook, he notes all the changes in his surroundings, and he imparts all this knowledge and love of nature to Hana. That pure water is an essential ingredient to...
- 1/16/2024
- by Jo-Ann Titmarsh
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
“Evil Does Not Exist” is the ninth feature film by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who recently received the Silver Lion award at the 80th edition of the Venice International Film Festival, in addition to the Fipresci Award from the International Federation of Film Critics. Furthermore, during the 67th edition of the BFI London Film Festival, the film was honored with the title of “Best Film”.
“Evil Does Not Exist” in Venice International Film Festival
The narrative unfolds within a secluded mountain town in Japan, precisely within the picturesque village of Harasawa. Here, a closely-knit local community leads a tranquil existence, deeply immersed in the harmonious balance between the peaceful rhythms of the surrounding woods and the timeless beauty of nature. Gradually, the distinctive inhabitants of the village come into focus, notably the versatile handyman Takumi (portrayed by Hitoshi Omika) and his daughter, Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). The daily life in Harasawa exudes simplicity,...
“Evil Does Not Exist” in Venice International Film Festival
The narrative unfolds within a secluded mountain town in Japan, precisely within the picturesque village of Harasawa. Here, a closely-knit local community leads a tranquil existence, deeply immersed in the harmonious balance between the peaceful rhythms of the surrounding woods and the timeless beauty of nature. Gradually, the distinctive inhabitants of the village come into focus, notably the versatile handyman Takumi (portrayed by Hitoshi Omika) and his daughter, Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). The daily life in Harasawa exudes simplicity,...
- 10/23/2023
- by Siria Falleroni
- AsianMoviePulse
At first, you might not detect the tonal deception seeded into Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "Evil Does Not Exist." Yet, seemingly innocuous nature shots unfold into a thriller. With a penchant for revealing character in long takes, Hamaguchi opens "Evil Does Not Exist" with a lengthy full-shot of a forest villager, Takami (Hitoshi Omika) chopping firewood. The rustic elegance looms large in this frame. However, the forest days are numbered. Hunting gunshots cackle from the distance. Bullet-by-bullet, the ecological peace is being penetrated.
Hamaguchi's modern eco-cautionary tale (a short film concept expanded into a feature-length) does not expound grand visuals of ravaged landscapes, but rather indicates the micro-forces that are already upsetting the balance in the fictional Mizubiki Village. Among the 6,000 villagers, Takami lives his serene existence chopping firewood, performing odd jobs for his neighbors, and raising his 8-year-old daughter (Ryo Nishikawa). The villagers' bond with the land is illustrated in delicate slice-of-life strokes,...
Hamaguchi's modern eco-cautionary tale (a short film concept expanded into a feature-length) does not expound grand visuals of ravaged landscapes, but rather indicates the micro-forces that are already upsetting the balance in the fictional Mizubiki Village. Among the 6,000 villagers, Takami lives his serene existence chopping firewood, performing odd jobs for his neighbors, and raising his 8-year-old daughter (Ryo Nishikawa). The villagers' bond with the land is illustrated in delicate slice-of-life strokes,...
- 10/6/2023
- by Caroline Cao
- Slash Film
One of the best surprises in cinema this year was the news that Ryusuke Hamaguchi, just two years after his perfect one-two punch of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Drive My Car, had secretly shot and completed another film that was to premiere in just a few weeks at Venice Film Festival. After picking up the Grand Jury Prize there, the serene and expertly scripted Evil Does Not Exist will now stop by the 61st New York Film Festival ahead of a to-be-announced release from Sideshow and Janus Films. Ahead of the premiere, the first trailer has arrived.
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi,...
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi,...
- 10/3/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"If you go overboard, you upset the balance." Screen International has revealed the first promo trailer for the new film from Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi called Evil Does Not Exist. After winning an Oscar last year for his highly acclaimed film Drive My Car, Hamaguchi went back home and ended up making this smaller, much quieter little film that could be described as an eco thriller or eco fable. Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, near Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a glamping site near Takumi's house offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to nature. But it will disrupt the way of life for many of the local villagers, who ask for them to make changes. The film stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani, Hazuki Kikuchi, and Hiroyuki Miura. This premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival,...
- 10/2/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Updated with latest: The Venice Film Festival began August 30 with opening-night movie Comandante, an Italian World War II drama, kicking off a lineup for the venerable fest’s 80th edition that includes world premieres of Michael Mann’s Ferrari, Bradley Cooper’s Maestro, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, David Fincher’s The Killer, Ava DuVernay’s Origins, and new films from lightning-rod directors Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Luc Besson.
Deadline is on the ground to watch all the key films. Below is a compilation of our reviews from the fest, which last year awarded Laura Poitras’ documentary All The Beauty and the Bloodshed its Golden Lion for best film.
Click on the film titles below to read the reviews in full, and keep checking back as we add more movies throughout the fest, which runs through September 9.
Adagio
Section: Competition
Director: Stefano Sollima
Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino,...
Deadline is on the ground to watch all the key films. Below is a compilation of our reviews from the fest, which last year awarded Laura Poitras’ documentary All The Beauty and the Bloodshed its Golden Lion for best film.
Click on the film titles below to read the reviews in full, and keep checking back as we add more movies throughout the fest, which runs through September 9.
Adagio
Section: Competition
Director: Stefano Sollima
Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino,...
- 9/10/2023
- by Damon Wise, Pete Hammond, Stephanie Bunbury and Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Editor’s Note: This review originally published during the 2023 Venice Film Festival. Sideshow and Janus Films will release “Evil Does Not Exist” in U.S. theaters on May 3.
“Evil Does Not Exist,” the title of the latest film from “Drive My Car” director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, is a bold statement to make in the year 2023. As it turns out in this eerie and elusive ecological tone poem about man, nature, and man’s nature, the statement is not necessarily something the Japanese filmmaker believes.
This made-in-secret and gently lilting film set in a bucolic village on the outskirts of Tokyo seems like a call for compassion on the surface — it centers on how the village’s inhabitants tangle with a corporation trying to set up a glamping site in their forest, only for the two opposing sides to eventually find common ground. But that entente proves a foil for a much...
“Evil Does Not Exist,” the title of the latest film from “Drive My Car” director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, is a bold statement to make in the year 2023. As it turns out in this eerie and elusive ecological tone poem about man, nature, and man’s nature, the statement is not necessarily something the Japanese filmmaker believes.
This made-in-secret and gently lilting film set in a bucolic village on the outskirts of Tokyo seems like a call for compassion on the surface — it centers on how the village’s inhabitants tangle with a corporation trying to set up a glamping site in their forest, only for the two opposing sides to eventually find common ground. But that entente proves a foil for a much...
- 9/5/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest, Evil Does Not Exist, received a 7-minute, 50-second ovation at its Venice Film Festival world premiere on the Lido on Monday. The applause for the director of last year’s Best International Feature Oscar winner Drive My Car only ended when Hamaguchi and his team got up to leave.
After the ovation, Hamaguchi stopped in the auditorium lobby to take selfies and sign autographs.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi takes his bows after ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ premiere at #Venezia80 pic.twitter.com/N9Ar5eK8V1
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 4, 2023
Evil Does Not Exist was a sort of under-the-radar title coming into the festival. The story centers on Takumi and his daughter Hana who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan...
After the ovation, Hamaguchi stopped in the auditorium lobby to take selfies and sign autographs.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi takes his bows after ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ premiere at #Venezia80 pic.twitter.com/N9Ar5eK8V1
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) September 4, 2023
Evil Does Not Exist was a sort of under-the-radar title coming into the festival. The story centers on Takumi and his daughter Hana who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan...
- 9/4/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Amongst a typically raucous lineup at this year’s Venice Film Festival comes Evil Does Not Exist, a work in which tensions rise over little more than the placement of a septic tank. It’s the latest from director Ryusuke Hamaguchi and his first since 2021’s miraculous double-punch of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Drive My Car. Evil concerns a clash of urban and rural sensibilities: a story about a small but hardy group of people who wish to stop the development of a glamping site. Devotees of Kelly Reichardt’s sylvan melancholies will feel perfectly at home.
A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi, voice...
A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi, voice...
- 9/4/2023
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Shinrin-yoku, which translates as “forest-bathing,” was a Japanese invention of the 1980s: a meditative therapy that connects burnt-out urbanites with the healing power of nature. Evil Does Not Exist, the latest film from the celebrated director of Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi – and a contender for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival — opens with a long series of scenes of trees that are so serenely paced and beautifully scored that they leave you feeling as if you have been forest-bathing for real.
Pine trees sway overhead, the streams trickle, sunshine falls between the branches on to the snow, white mountain crags soar in the distance. Eiko Ishibashi’s music, led by the thin lilt of a violin, swirls in the background. We see Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) crouched over a spring filling water bottles; shown in mid-shot, surrounded by the murmuring forest, he is part of his landscape, methodically spooning water into the containers.
Pine trees sway overhead, the streams trickle, sunshine falls between the branches on to the snow, white mountain crags soar in the distance. Eiko Ishibashi’s music, led by the thin lilt of a violin, swirls in the background. We see Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) crouched over a spring filling water bottles; shown in mid-shot, surrounded by the murmuring forest, he is part of his landscape, methodically spooning water into the containers.
- 9/4/2023
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
A wild deer with a hunter’s bullet in its belly may attack a human, no matter how mild its nature normally. This is one of the droplets of woodland wisdom dispensed by the otherwise taciturn Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), the woodcutter, water-gatherer and all-round odd-job-man of Mizubiki village, the setting of “Drive My Car” director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s meditative and moving, yet ultimately unsettling new feature. Takumi’s few words all relate to such matters: the flow of a stream, the thorns on a Siberian Ginseng, the tang of wild wasabi. They are pastoral litanies as spartan and lilting as “Evil Does not Exist” itself, right until a last-minute reversal calls its strange title back to mind and into question. Even if evil does not exist in this peaceful, bucolic community, injustice and animal instinct certainly do.
From the outset indicating the centrality of composer Eiko Ishibashi’s score, we...
From the outset indicating the centrality of composer Eiko Ishibashi’s score, we...
- 9/4/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Venice film festival: Compositional quirks and unhurried direction turn this tale of a Tokyo company buying up land near a pristine lake into a complex and mysterious drama
Ryu Hamaguchi’s quietist, enigmatic eco-parable Evil Does Not Exist refuses easy explanations and perhaps it refuses difficult explanations as well. It’s a complex drama, a realist film teetering on the edge of the uncanny, whose very title points the way towards the idea that there are shades of grey in every judgment we make. It is arguably opaque and contrived, and will possibly exasperate as many as it intrigues, but I found it rippling around in my mind long after the final, extended shot with its two figures receding into the mist.
At first glance, this seems a cut-and-dried case of a story about corporate capitalism despoiling the environment: Takumi lives with his young daughter Hana in a beautifully unspoiled...
Ryu Hamaguchi’s quietist, enigmatic eco-parable Evil Does Not Exist refuses easy explanations and perhaps it refuses difficult explanations as well. It’s a complex drama, a realist film teetering on the edge of the uncanny, whose very title points the way towards the idea that there are shades of grey in every judgment we make. It is arguably opaque and contrived, and will possibly exasperate as many as it intrigues, but I found it rippling around in my mind long after the final, extended shot with its two figures receding into the mist.
At first glance, this seems a cut-and-dried case of a story about corporate capitalism despoiling the environment: Takumi lives with his young daughter Hana in a beautifully unspoiled...
- 9/4/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
What a strange, unpredictable film Ryûsuke Hamaguchi has made to follow his rapturously received international breakthrough, Drive My Car. While Evil Does Not Exist (Aku Wa Sonzai Shinai) reins in the symphonic expansiveness of its predecessor, this more compact slow-burn drama builds its own hypnotic, changeable rhythms, along with a quiet sense of dread that sneaks up on you just as people on both sides of a conflict appear to be working toward common ground — whatever that’s worth. An ending that pushes its ambiguousness to confounding lengths will be a deal-breaker for some, but this haunting stealth thriller about violations of nature is a work of undeniable power.
If the shadow of Chekhov stretched elegantly over Drive My Car, the Japanese writer-director’s new film might almost be said to have a kinship with Ibsen, its tensions around the potential contamination of a water supply and the heated responses...
If the shadow of Chekhov stretched elegantly over Drive My Car, the Japanese writer-director’s new film might almost be said to have a kinship with Ibsen, its tensions around the potential contamination of a water supply and the heated responses...
- 9/4/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Japanese auteur Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s forthcoming drama Evil Does Not Exist — his first feature since winning the best international film Oscar with Drive My Car last year — has locked down North American distribution with Sideshow and Janus Films. The film is set to world premiere in competition at the upcoming Venice Film Festival, followed by a special presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Written and directed by Hamaguchi, Evil Does Not Exist stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, and Ayaka Shibutani and is produced by Satoshi Takata of Neopa Inc. It also reunites Hamaguchi with Drive My Car‘s composer Eiko Ishibashi.
Evil Does Not Exist follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to...
Written and directed by Hamaguchi, Evil Does Not Exist stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, and Ayaka Shibutani and is produced by Satoshi Takata of Neopa Inc. It also reunites Hamaguchi with Drive My Car‘s composer Eiko Ishibashi.
Evil Does Not Exist follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to...
- 8/11/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sideshow and Janus Films have acquired all North American rights to Academy Award-winning Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist ahead of its world premiere in Competition at the Venice Film Festival next month.
The companies previously enjoyed success with Hamaguchi’s 2022 Best International Film Oscar winner Drive My Car, which they picked up at the 2021 edition of Cannes in their first joint acquisition.
The film, which was also Oscar nominated for Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay, went on to be one of first successes at the specialty box office coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, grossing $2.3m gross in the U.S. and Canada.
New feature Evil Does Not Exist stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, and Ayaka Shibutani and is produced by Satoshi Takata of Neopa Inc.
It follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them,...
The companies previously enjoyed success with Hamaguchi’s 2022 Best International Film Oscar winner Drive My Car, which they picked up at the 2021 edition of Cannes in their first joint acquisition.
The film, which was also Oscar nominated for Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay, went on to be one of first successes at the specialty box office coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, grossing $2.3m gross in the U.S. and Canada.
New feature Evil Does Not Exist stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, and Ayaka Shibutani and is produced by Satoshi Takata of Neopa Inc.
It follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
“Evil Does Not Exist,” the next film from “Drive My Car” director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, has landed North American distribution rights from Sideshow and Janus Films, which previously released “Drive My Car” to a Best Picture nomination in 2021.
“Evil Does Not Exist” is making its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month in competition, and it will also have a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival and as part of the Main Slate at the New York Film Festival.
Sideshow and Janus Films will release the film in theaters after its fall festival run but did not specify a date.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis: “‘Evil Does Not Exist’ follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants...
“Evil Does Not Exist” is making its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month in competition, and it will also have a Special Presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival and as part of the Main Slate at the New York Film Festival.
Sideshow and Janus Films will release the film in theaters after its fall festival run but did not specify a date.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis: “‘Evil Does Not Exist’ follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants...
- 8/10/2023
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
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