New US Trailer for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Film
by Alex Billington
March 26, 2024
Source: YouTube
“If you go overboard, you upset the balance.” Janus Films has revealed an official US trailer for the latest film from Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi called Evil Does Not Exist. After winning an Oscar two years ago for his highly acclaimed Drive My Car, Hamaguchi went back home and ended up making this smaller, much quieter little film that could be described as an eco thriller or even eco fable. Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, near Tokyo. 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. But it will disrupt the way of life for many of the local villagers, who ask for them to make changes. The film stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani, Hazuki Kikuchi, and Hiroyuki Miura. This premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, with stops at TIFF, NYFF, London and Chicago last year. It’s now confirmed for a small US release this May if anyone is interested in catching up with this.
Here’s the official US trailer (+ poster) for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, from YouTube:
You can watch last year’s promo trailer for Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist right here, for more footage.
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 & 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 project will have a negative impact on the local water supply, causing unrest. The agency’s mismatched intentions endanger both the ecological balance of the plateau and their way of life, with an aftermath that affects Takumi’s life deeply. Evil Does Not Exist, also known as Aku wa Sonzai Shinai (or 悪は存在しない) in Japanese, is directed by the acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, of the films Solaris, Passion, The Depths, Intimacies, Touching the Skin of Eeriness, Happy Hour, Asako I & II, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, and Oscar winner Drive My Car. The script is also by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, from a concept by Hamaguchi & Eiko Ishibashi. Produced by Satoshi Takada. This initially premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival last year. Evil Does Not Exist will open in select US theaters on May 3rd, 2024.
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