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by Sebastian Kluth

Aku wa sonzai shinai / Evil Does Not Exist (2023) - Nature Always Remains Victorious - 7/10 (03/07/24)

Aku wa sonzai shinai / Evil Does Not Exist (2024)

Evil Does Not Exist, originally known as Aku wa sonzai shinai, is a Japanese drama by renowned director Hamaguchi Ryusuke, who has been receiving international acclaim for movies such as Drive My Car. This slow-paced, mysterious and intellectual film tells the story of a conflict between businesspeople from Tokyo and villagers from Mizubiki. The former want to open a glamping site for capitalistic reasons while the latter want to protect nature for environmental reasons. Both sides are radical in their positions and a compromise seems to be a dangerous undertaking. Tension really starts to rise when two representatives of the company decide to spend an entire day in Mizubiki with odd job man Takumi.

This film needs a lot of patience in order to be fully appreciated. The pace is particularly slow. The opening sequences consists of shots of Mizubiki's environment. Dialogues meander between being sparse before becoming almost overbearing. Several things aren't openly said and need some analysis from the viewers to be fully understood. The movie's ending certainly walks off the beaten path as it takes viewers by surprise and leaves several questions unanswered.

This unique style however makes the film quite memorable. In addition to this, the plot can be described as realistic fiction. The landscapes are intriguing to discover. The characters are profound and deserve to be analyzed in depth. The acting performances are so realistic that one might believe to watch a documentary. The movie's ending offers food for thought and discussion. It's highly recommended to watch this movie peacefully with some family members or friends in order to discuss what you make of it. Multiple viewings might be recommendable as well, so don't hesitate to purchase a physical version of this movie rather than watching it just once at the cinema.

To keep it short, Evil Does Not Exist, originally titled Aku wa sonzai shinai, is a slow-paced, mysterious and intellectual drama rooted in realistic fiction. It convinces with beautiful settings, a realistic plot and intriguing characters. The movie's shining highlight is its ending that offers food for thought and discussion. The negative elements of this film are its lengthy shots of nature, slow pace and odd transitions from silence to overbearing dialogues and vice versa. People who appreciate renowned director Hamaguchi Ryusuke can watch this movie without any worries. Those who really want to discover one of Japan's most acclaimed contemporary directors might start their discovery right here right now. Cineasts who can't stand dragging, intellectual and vague movies should however stay away from this film.

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