#ryuji kosaka

[lostinmac]

Evil Does Not Exist (2023)

Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi

[mariwatchesmovies]

悪は存在しない | Evil Does Not Exist (2023) dir. Ryūsuke Hamaguchi cine. Yoshio Kitagawa

[moviemosaics]

Evil Does Not Exist

directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2023

[rickchung]

Evil Does Not Exist (Aku wa Sonzai Shinai, dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi) x VIFF 2023.

It's an engaging yet unsettling portrait of anti-capitalist confrontation in the vein of true Japanese politeness. Despite the very serious, often grim tone, Evil Does Not Exist is frequently laugh-out-loud funny in its deliberately stilted dialogue. Still, Hamaguchi contines to make driving in cars and smoking silently (or doing both at the same time) look so damn cool on screen.

Screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Special Presentations program.

[scandinaviancollectors]

RYUJI KOSAKA, Garden Landscape, Japan, 1963. Woodblock. / Potomack Company

[stuff-diary]

Evil Does Not Exist

Movies watched in 2024

Evil Does Not Exist (2023, Japan)

Director & Writer: Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Mini-review:

Evil Does Not Exist is exactly what I expected from a Ryusuke Hamaguchi film: a quietly intense, sort-of-spellbinding experience. Right from that first scenic shot, there's something about the movie that keeps you glued to the screen. The pacing gets a tad too slow at times, but all the scenes focused on the characters' conversations are surprisingly engaging. On the contrary, the ending left flabbergasted. I can somewhat understand what it's going for, but it's way too sudden and ambiguous; it just doesn't fit with everything that comes before. Beyond that, I don't really have any other complains. Oh, but I can't end this review without mentioning the gorgeous score and cinematography. That alone is a big reason to watch this.

[sonimage1965]

Ryuji Kosaka