Ryusuke Hamaguchi has a new film coming out, his first film since the brilliant Drive My Car. This one is called Evil Does Not Exist and will be released in cinemas later this year. The film had a world premiere at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury prize and FIPRESCI Critics’ Award. It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and BFI London Film Festival, where it was awarded Best Film in Official Competition. Sounds good.
The film is set in an idyllic forest community outside Tokyo, where corporate invaders have bought choice land for a glamping site. Taciturn widower Takumi gathers wild wasabi and stream water for a local udon restaurant, splits wood with Zen precision, and occasionally forgets to fetch his 8-year-old daughter from school — while shots of deer hunters echo through nearby fields. He and two company reps become comically unlikely bedfellows, and together they ultimately confront the mysterious, unsettling forces of both nature and human nature.
This is the U.S. trailer for the film – expect a UK one soon – with the movie opening there on 3rd May.
Check it out below.
