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. When the residents are informed of a development plan to erect a glamping site in their area, they realise the effects of the misguided project will endanger the ecological balance of the plateau and their way of life.

The Garden Cinema View:

Sitting somewhere between his ‘epics’, Drive My Car and Happy Hour, and the brief encounters of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, Evil Does Not Exist is another immensely rewarding work. The frost covered woods, frozen lake, and clear skies create an instant sense of Winter stillness. Hamaguchi’s lowkey visual style and unhurried screenplay match this setting, adding an aura of calm and clarity. Scenes can be lengthy, and Hamaguchi makes use of both long shots and long takes to give a sense of each character’s place within the environment. Whilst this provides a harmonious resonance with the theme of human-nature coexistence that runs through the film, several subtle and strange camera movements hint at some of the more unexplainable moments toward the climax.

Featuring a stand out score from Eiko Ishibashi working, as with Drive My Car, with her partner Jim O’Rourke, and staking a claim as the best film composer of the moment. Likewise, Hamaguchi himself should now be considered a major filmmaker of this age. There are certainly not many directors who could place a twenty minute town hall consultation meeting as the dramatic centre of their film.    

Cast:
Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani