Thoughts from the committee
Academy Award-winning director Ryusuke Hamaguchi follows up his acclaimed Drive My Car with a truly original telling of an eco-parable that is as quietly complex as it is meditative to watch.
In a fictional small village outside of Tokyo, single father Takumi chops wood, collects pristine stream water for a local udon shop, and forages with his daughter. When capitalist greed arrives from Tokyo in the form of two corporate representatives for an expanding glamping company, the villagers’ rural idyll is threatened. This conflict unfolds into an enigmatic, intelligent drama about the greyness of human morality that raises just as many questions as it answers.
Those familiar with Hamaguchi’s work will recognise his masterful directorial style, on display here through long shots and pristine visuals. The score is by Eiko Ishibashi, who has collaborated with Hamaguchi previously, composing the score for Drive My Car. Evil Does Not Exist actually began its life not as a narrative film, but as a visual accompaniment to one of Ishibashi’s compositions. Hamaguchi became so absorbed in the setting and ideas inspired by the music that he felt compelled to see it through to a feature-length film. While the film’s title lures us in with its provocative statement, Evil Does Not Exist unfolds in a similarly layered way.
“A haunting, suspenseful meditation on humankind’s thorny relationship with nature, consumerism, and itself […] the director showcases his masterful command of pacing and atmosphere to uncover the destructive forces lurking beneath the thin veneer of civilization.” – Criterion