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Evil Does Not Exist

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with There Is No Evil.

Evil Does Not Exist
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanji悪は存在しない
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnAku wa Sonzai Shinai
Directed byRyusuke Hamaguchi
Written byRyusuke Hamaguchi
Produced bySatoshi Takata[1]
Starring
  • Hitoshi Omika
  • Ryo Nishikawa
  • Ryuji Kosaka
  • Ayaka Shibutani
CinematographyYoshio Kitagawa[1]
Edited by
  • Ryusuke Hamaguchi[1]
  • Azusa Yamazaki[1]
Music byEiko Ishibashi[1]
Production
company
NEOPA Inc.[1]
Distributed byIncline
Release dates
  • 4 September 2023 (2023-09-04) (Venice)
  • 26 April 2024 (2024-04-26) (Japan)
Running time
106 minutes[1]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box officeUS$3.3 million[2]

Evil Does Not Exist (Japanese: 悪は存在しない, Hepburn: Aku wa Sonzai Shinai) is a 2023 Japanese drama film written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. With a cast of non-professional actors, the film follows a single father who lives in a village that is disrupted by a real estate project and the consequences its development will have to their environment.

The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Award from the International Federation of Film Critics. It was awarded Best Film at the 2023 BFI London Film Festival.[3]

Plot

[edit]

Extensive winter forest scenery opens the film. Widower Takumi lives with his eight-year-old daughter Hana in the peaceful Japanese mountain village of Mizubiki. He chops wood, smokes a cigarette, collects jugs of water from the forest stream, and occasionally hears gunshots, presumably from deer hunters.

In a community meeting, residents are confronted with a proposal to develop a glamping site. Takahashi and Mayuzumi, two developer representatives, introduce the project. However, the townsfolk unanimously voice their serious concerns about the consequences the site will have on their delicate water systems and scoff at the representatives' public relations tactics. Takumi and others tell them that the septic tank capacity is not large enough for the planned development, and that sewage will leak into the groundwater they tap from wells. The company is accused of only caring about profits and wanting to move recklessly fast in order to take advantage of limited-time pandemic subsidies.

Takahashi and Mayuzumi change their attitudes as they listen, but after reporting the outcome of the meeting to their boss, they are rebuffed and told to not change the septic system, but instead seduce Takumi with gifts and hire him as a caretaker for the camp. The pair drive back to the village as they chat about their online dating experiences and their disillusionment with their jobs. They chop wood and have lunch with Takumi. Takahashi decides to stay in the village to live there and learn all he can from Takumi. On a drive, Takumi mentions that while wild deer are normally not aggressive, a gut-shot deer or its parent may attack if it is unable to run away. Another gunshot is heard in the distance.

Takumi's daughter Hana goes missing and the village community searches into the night for her. Takumi and Takahashi venture into the forest looking for her and eventually emerge into an open field. Hana is shown in the field approaching a deer and her calf, the latter of which has been gut-shot. Before Takahashi can run over, Takumi tackles him to the ground and chokes him unconscious. Hana is seen lying motionless in the field with a bloody nose before Takumi picks her up and runs off into the forest. Takahashi comes to, struggles to get up only to fall down again. The sound of footsteps and labored breathing are heard faintly over a visual of the forest as it fades to darkness.

Cast

[edit]
  • Hitoshi Omika as Takumi Yasumura, an "odd job man" in Mizubiki[4]
  • Ryo Nishikawa as Hana Yasumura, Takumi's daughter[4]
  • Ryuji Kosaka as Takahashi Keisuke, a male talent agency representative[4]
  • Ayaka Shibutani as Mayuzumi Yuuko, a female talent agency representative[4]
  • Hazuki Kikuchi[1] as Sachi Minemura, Kazuo's wife and the co-owner of Mizubiki's local restaurant
  • Hiroyuki Miura[1] as Kazuo Minemura, Takumi's friend and the owner of Mizubiki's local restaurant
  • Yûto Torii as Tatsuki Sakamoto
  • Takako Yamamura as Yoshiko Kizaki
  • Takuma Nagao as Tomonori Hasegawa
  • Yoshinori Miyata as Akira Horiguchi, Takahashi and Mayuzumi's boss
  • Taijirô Tamura as Ippei Suruga, the mayor of Mizubiki

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

Hamaguchi started working on the film in January 2023, with the intention of it being a 30-minute short film accompanied by a live score composed by Eiko Ishibashi, the production ended up getting lengthier as the shoot went along and Hamaguchi decided to turn it into a feature film with dialogue.[5]

Hamaguchi was influenced by the work of Jean-Luc Godard, who had recently died. He and Ishibashi bonded over the "common language" they found in Godard, whose work they admired for its musical qualities. Hamaguchi said, "In some ways, it was a dimension that we had really set ourselves towards. I was thinking about how he used sound and images together. There are also some visual references to some of his work. That all said, fortunately or unfortunately, I think ultimately Evil Does Not Exist is a very different kind of film from the ones Godard made."[6][7] The typography in the opening credits is reminiscent of Godard's work, a decision Hamaguchi made in the editing process.[8]

Soundtrack

[edit]
Evil Does Not Exist
Soundtrack album by
Eiko Ishibashi
Released28 June 2024
Length43:46
LabelDrag City

The soundtrack was released on 28 June 2024 through Drag City. It was mixed and mastered by Ishibashi's partner Jim O'Rourke,[9] who also plays guitar on the soundtrack.[10]

No.TitleLength
1."Evil Does Not Exist V.2"5:59
2."Hana V.2"7:33
3."Fether"2:25
4."Smoke"4:30
5."Deer Blood"5:48
6."Missing V.2"12:04
7."Evil Does Not Exist"5:26
Total length:43:46

Release

[edit]

In July 2023, it was announced that Hamaguchi had two new films scheduled for world premieres at the fall festival season: Evil Does Not Exist and Gift; with the latter being the originally-intended version without dialogue with Ishibashi's live score and which had its world premiere at Belgium's Film Fest Gent in October 2023.[11] Evil Does Not Exist premiered on 4 September 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival,[1] where it was selected in the main competition for the Golden Lion and was ultimately awarded the Grand Jury Prize.[12][13]

It was also screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2023 New York Film Festival and the 2023 BFI London Film Festival, where it was awarded Best Film in Official Competition.[14][15][16] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in the 'Icon' section and was screened on 7 October 2023.[17]

The film had its Japanese premiere at the Hiroshima International Film Festival on 26 November 2023.[18] It was released in cinemas in Australia on 18 April 2024.[19]

It was theatrically released in Japan on 26 April 2024, distributed by Incline.[18][20][21] It was released in the UK & Ireland on 5 April 2024 by Modern Films,[22] and in the US on 3 May 2024 by Sideshow/Janus Films[23] and Canada on 10 May 2024 by Films We Like.[24]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 91% of 154 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "Evil Does Not Exist stands on the battle lines between modern civilization and the natural world, offering a perspective that's as quietly measured as it is entrancing."[25] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[26]

In a review for The New York Times, film critic Manohla Dargis wrote that the film is "visually unadorned, simple, direct" and that Hamaguchi "uses fragments from everyday life to build a world that is so intimate and recognizable...that the movie's artistry almost comes as a shock."[27]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars, writing that "Hamaguchi's quietist, enigmatic eco-parable refuses easy explanations and perhaps it refuses difficult explanations as well" and that "it is arguably opaque and contrived, and will possibly exasperate as many as it intrigues." Bradshaw questioned some of the "compositional quirks" in the film and concluded that the film wasn't Hamaguchi's best work but that it is "presented with such calm assurance and artistry that it compels a kind of wistful, if uncomprehending, assent."[28]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Asia Pacific Screen Awards 3 November 2023 Best Film Evil Does Not Exist Nominated [29][30]
Jury Grand Prize Won
Best Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Cinematography Yoshio Kitagawa Nominated
Asian Film Awards 10 March 2024 Best Film Evil Does Not Exist Won [31]
Best Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Editing Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Azusa Yamazaki Nominated
Best Cinematography Yoshio Kitagawa Nominated
Best Original Music Eiko Ishibashi Won
BFI London Film Festival 15 October 2023 Best Film Evil Does Not Exist Won [3]
Chicago International Film Festival 22 October 2023 Gold Hugo Nominated [32]
Gotham Awards 2 December 2024 Best Screenplay Ryusuke Hamaguchi Nominated [33]
IndieWire Critics Poll 11 December 2023 Best Films Opening in 2024 Evil Does Not Exist 4th Place [34]
International Film Festival of Kerala 15 December 2023 Suvarna Chakoram for Best Film Won [35]
Los Angeles Film Critics Association 8 December 2024 Best Music Score Eiko Ishibashi Runner-up [36]
Miskolc International Film Festival 14 September 2024 Emeric Pressburger Prize Evil Does Not Exist Nominated [37]
Montclair Film Festival 29 October 2023 Fiction Feature Nominated [38]
San Sebastián International Film Festival 30 September 2023 Lurra - Greenpeace Award Won [39]
Seattle Film Critics Society 16 December 2024 Best International Film Won [40]
Best Original Score Eiko Ishibashi Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association 15 December 2024 Best International Film Evil Does Not Exist Runner-up [41]
Venice Film Festival 9 September 2023 Golden Lion Ryusuke Hamaguchi Nominated [42]
Grand Jury Prize Won [13]
Premio CinemaSarà - Special Mention Won [43]
Edipo Re Award - Ca'Foscari Young Jury Award Won
Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Won
FIPRESCI Award Won

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Aku wa sonzai shinai (Evil Does Not Exist)". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  2. ^ "Evil Does Not Exist (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Award winners announced at 67th BFI London Film Festival". BFI. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Kiang, Jessica (4 September 2023). "'Evil Does Not Exist' Review: Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Tale of Rural Gentrification Is a Tone Poem with an Atonal End". Variety. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Update on Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's 'Evil Does Not Exist'". World of Reel. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  6. ^ Jones, Rob (14 March 2024). "Ryusuke Hamaguchi talks Evil Does Not Exist (Interview)". Filmhounds Magazine. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  7. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (4 September 2023). "Ryusuke Hamaguchi Embraces the Unknowable With Oscars Follow-Up 'Evil Does Not Exist'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  8. ^ "【単独インタビュー】『悪は存在しない』濱口竜介監督を導いた光とゴダールの謎". Fan's Voice | ファンズボイス (in Japanese). 3 May 2024. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  9. ^ "Eiko Ishibashi - Evil Does Not Exist". Drag City. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  10. ^ Goldner, Sam (3 July 2024). "Eiko Ishibashi: Evil Does Not Exist Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  11. ^ Newman, Nick (25 July 2023). "Ryūsuke Hamaguchi Will Debut His Second New Film of 2023, Gift, with a Live Score from Eiko Ishibashi This October". Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  12. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (25 July 2023). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: Mann, Lanthimos, Fincher, DuVernay, Cooper, Besson, Coppola, Hamaguchi In Competition; Polanski, Allen, Anderson, Linklater Out Of Competition – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  13. ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy; Ntim, Zac (9 September 2023). "Venice Winners: Golden Lion Goes To Yorgos Lanthimos For 'Poor Things'; Hamaguchi, Sarsgaard, Spaeny Also Score — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  14. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (10 August 2023). "TIFF 2023 Centerpiece Program Showcases Aki Kaurismäki, Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  15. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (8 August 2023). "New York Film Festival Unveils 2023 Lineup: 'Zone of Interest,' 'Poor Things,' 'Anatomy of a Fall' and More". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Award winners announced at 67th BFI London Film Festival". BFI. 15 October 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  17. ^ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. 5 September 2023. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  18. ^ a b "濱口竜介監督「悪は存在しない」2024年4月26日公開決定!広島国際映画祭にてジャパンプレミア開催!". Fan's Voice. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  19. ^ "Evil Does Not Exist Opening Day Offer". Palace Cinemas. 16 April 2024. Archived from the original on 15 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  20. ^ "「悪は存在しない」ジャパンプレミア 上映後には濱口竜介監督やキャストらのトークショーも". hiff.jp (in Japanese). 26 November 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  21. ^ "悪は存在しない". Bunkamura (in Japanese). Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Evil Does Not Exist". Modern Films. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  23. ^ Lattanzio, Ryan (26 March 2024). "'Evil Does Not Exist' Trailer: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi Made His Eerie 'Drive My Car' Follow-Up in Secret". IndieWire. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Evil Does Not Exist". Films We Like. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  25. ^ "Evil Does Not Exist". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 14 October 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  26. ^ "Evil Does Not Exist". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  27. ^ Dargis, Manohla (2 May 2024). "'Evil Does Not Exist' Review: Nature vs. Nurture". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  28. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (4 September 2023). "Evil Does Not Exist review – Ryu Hamaguchi's enigmatic eco-parable eschews easy explanation". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  29. ^ Ntim, Zac (3 October 2023). "Asia Pacific Screen Awards: Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 'Evil Does Not Exist' Leads Nominations & First Round Winners Announced". Deadline. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  30. ^ Frater, Patrick (3 November 2023). "Perfect Days' Wins Best Film at Asia Pacific Screen Awards as Japan, Korea, Kazakh Titles Dominate". Variety. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  31. ^ "Asian Film Awards; Korean Historical Drama '12.12: The Day' & Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 'Evil Does Not Exist' Lead Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  32. ^ Kay, Jeremy (14 September 2023). "'Fallen Leaves', 'About Dry Grasses', 'La Chimera' among Chicago fest international line-up (exclusive)". Screendaily. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  33. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (29 October 2024). "Gotham Awards Nominations: 'Anora' Leads Pack, 'Challengers' & 'Nickel Boys' Among Group Up For Best Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  34. ^ Blauvelt, Christian (11 December 2023). "2023 Critics Poll: The Best Films and Performances, According to 158 Critics from Around the World". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  35. ^ "IFFK 2023 | Japanese film 'Evil Does Not Exist' wins Suvarna Chakoram, 'Sunday' and 'Thadavu' corner multiple awards". The Hindu. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  36. ^ Richlin, Harrison (8 December 2024). "'Anora' Wins Best Picture from Los Angeles Film Critics Association — Winners List". IndieWire. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  37. ^ "The 20th Anniversary Edition of CineFest Miskolc IFF Ready to Take Off". FilmNewEurope. 31 August 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  38. ^ Moye, Clarence (29 September 2023). "Montclair Film Announces Complete 2023 Montclair Film Festival Program". Awards Daily. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  39. ^ Tinoco, Armando (30 September 2023). "San Sebastian Film Festival Winners: Jaione Camborda's 'The Rye Horn' Takes Golden Shell For Best Film". Deadline. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  40. ^ Josh (6 December 2024). "Seattle Film Critics Society announce 2024 nominees". The SunBreak. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
  41. ^ Vlessing, Etan (16 December 2024). "'Nickel Boys' Named Best Picture of 2024 by Toronto Film Critics Association". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  42. ^ "Venezia 80 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  43. ^ "COLLATERAL AWARDS OF THE 80TH VENICE FILM FESTIVAL". La Biennale di Venezia. 8 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
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