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Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a camping site near Takumi's house offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to nature. (NR, 106 min.)
Original title: Aku wa sonzai shinai
5:45 PM
5:00 PM
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A place of bucolic serenity is threatened by cynical urban developers in Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s exquisite drama. Shifting between opposing environments and viewpoints, the latest from the Oscar-nominated director of Drive My Car (TIFF ’21, and named Best International Feature at the 2022 Academy Awards) is a slow burn that reveals the hidden potential for transformation on both sides of a fraught power dynamic.
Takumi and his eight-year-old daughter Hana reside in a forested region of Japan that’s remained largely unsullied by large-scale development. Until now. A pair of agents come to Takumi’s village to propose a “glamping” project, a resort for vacationers who want to feel like they’re camping without getting their fingernails dirty. During the briefing, locals critique numerous flaws in the project, from fire hazards to inadequate septic tanks, but the blank responses from the agents make it clear this exercise is purely tokenistic. The agency is determined to move forward regardless of whether locals approve. [TIFF]
**WINNER - GRAND JURY PRIZE - Venice Film Festival**
Starring: Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani
Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Language: Japanese
Genre: Drama
"An absorbing film of quiet power."
— Lee Marshall, Screen Daily
"A gorgeous eco-fable that ends with a mythical mic drop."
— Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
"A brilliant piece of work... A constantly surprising, intellectually agile film."
— Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline
"This haunting stealth thriller about violations of nature is a work of undeniable power."
— David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
"Hamaguchi is a master craftsperson, and this beautifully strange film leaves its mark."
— Xuanlin Tham, Little White Lies
"A fraught study of a community besieged by the modern world and determined to resist it, whatever the cost."
— Ed Power, Daily Telegraph
"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."
— Caroline Cao, Slashfilm
"The movie is a classic tale of the rural-urban, human-animal, nature-civilization divide, that dwells on the ecological dangers lurking in rapid, inconsiderate urbanization."
— Namrata Joshi, The New Indian Express
