Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s new film pits, in the manner of a Western, the wisdom of an old villager against the attempted swindle of some opportunists. But the film is too slow.
The director takes a long time Ryusuke Hamaguchi to put us in the mood. The forest, the treetops, a contemplative chamber, the singular music of her friend Eiko Ishibashi (precisely, listening to that music is like Hamaguchi started thinking about this story), all of that is more than just a prologue. It is the framework that seeks to put the story on a different level from so many others with a similar theme.
The film is titled “Evil does not exist”but it seems that the original title, “Aku wa sonzai shinai”has more than one meaning. Aku is a demon capable of doing both good and evil, and a liar is also called aku, while a pun can suggest that wrong accounts do not exist.
Two real estate agents go to a small town not far from the capital to gain the trust of the residents and get them to support a project that could end up working against them. Objections arise, which the real estate agents promise to take into account. Commercial policy advises to make people feel unconcerned, to make them believe they are being listened to, and then the company will do what it had planned. But there is a big, intelligent man, respected by the community, who will not be convinced. With him, the agents will have to apply other tactics.
We have seen this approach in more than one western. But that is where the similarities end. What we are now seeing is a drama of modern Japan, where some people want to destroy the old society, the flora, the fauna and the water in the name of profits and coloured mirrors for natives and tourists.and others still want to live in harmony with Nature and its deities.
This man has something different in his head, something the rogues cannot quite understand. And he has a daughter who is different, in a way that perhaps one cannot quite understand. A girl who can be truly ecstatic when faced with a deer that appears in the thicket like a Revelation, or perhaps like a Messenger.
There is something mystical in the resolution of this storywhich each one will try to interpret in his own way. And there is a way of telling it, which is typical of Hamaguchi. Perhaps this is, as some say, a minor work in his repertoire. But it makes you think.
“Evil does not exist” (Japan, 2023). Dir.: Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Int.: Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Hazuki Kikuchi.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
