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Evil Does Not Exist

Aku Wa Sonzai Shinai (Evil Does Not Exist)

2023

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani ...

6.7

1,084

Drama Takumi and his daughter Hana 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 build a glamping site near Takumi’s house offering city residents a comfortable “escape” to nature. When two company representatives from Tokyo arrive in the village to hold a meeting, it becomes clear that the ... [+]

	Media	Author	Review
		Lee Marshall Screendaily	"It becomes a nuanced reflection on our destructively needy rapport with the natural world (...) An absorbing film of quiet power.
		Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"Compositional quirks and unhurried direction turn this tale (...) into a complex and mysterious drama (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Laura Babiak The New York Observer	"There are moments of beauty and simplicity, but not nearly enough to sustain a feature (...) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"
		Phil de Semlyen Time Out	"A touching ecological parable full of little feints and narrative red herrings (...) It’s so idyllic you half-expect Totoro to pop out from behind a bush (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Jessica Kiang Variety	"It may not be wholly successful, but it certainly is bleakly fascinating to witness a master filmmaker paint so subtle and soothing a portrait of humanity"
		James Mottram South China Morning Post	"An engaging but elusive rural drama (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"
		Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"A minor work from a major filmmaker. Still worth your time"
		Stephanie Bunbury Deadline	"Ryusuke Hamaguchi delivers a constantly surprising, intellectually agile film (...) Drive My Car was manifestly a masterpiece. Evil Does Not Exist is less grand, less declarative, but it is a brilliant piece of work."
		Rory O'Connor The Film Stage	"Devotees of Kelly Reichardt’s sylvan melancholies will feel perfectly at home (...) A quiet, funny, confounding mystery"
		Caspar Salmon The Daily Beast	"A sad, piercingly beautiful fable, whose delicacy and grace barely conceal Hamaguchi's mordant purpose"
		Chuck Bowen Slant	"Though this film finds him more than capable of playing the role of cryptic genius auteur, one may wonder what is lost in the trade (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		David Rooney The Hollywood Reporter	"[It] may not have the staggering emotional force of 'Drive My Car', but as a penetrating study of character and milieu, it’s the work of a mature and enormously talented filmmaker not afraid to take chances"
		Wendy Ide The Guardian	"Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s strangely compelling hymn to nature (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Ryan Lattanzio IndieWire	"This is slow, patient cinema that on its surface seems as serene as a Kelly Reichardt film, but has a darker, less hopeful attitude about life"
		Ross Bonaime Collider	"[It] takes a contemplative, silent approach to the ecological drama in a way that only Ryusuke Hamaguchi could do (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Glenn Kenny rogerebert.com	"If you’re seen, say, the five-hour 'Happy Hour' or the doppelganger romance 'Asako I & II' you know that, with this prodigiously gifted filmmaker, you’re best off being ready for anything (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"
		Ed Power Telegraph	"Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s haunting eco-parable mesmerises and chills (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Graeme Guttmann Screen Rant	"Hamaguchi's contemplative direction in 'Evil Does Not Exist' is complemented by Ishibashi's eerie score (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 5)"
		Ankit Jhunjhunwala The Playlist	"Engaging but decidedly minor eco-fable"
		Arjun Sajip Empire	"Ryusuke Hamaguchi subverts expectations beautifully, but this brain-teaser makes no bones about the violence that often comes with 'progress' (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Jesse Hassenger Paste Magazine	"It's too unsparing to offer an easy exit"
		Siddhant Adlakha IGN	"It's another entrancing dramatic piece from the Japanese maestro, whose strengths lie less in observing natural environments, and more in observing people's nature"
		James Marsh Screen Anarchy	"Bold, Chilling, Ominous"

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