Evil does Not Exist

A village outside Tokyo reacts when they discover plans to build a tourist site offering city dwellers a comfortable getaway in nature. The film captures conflicts between humans and nature, progress and preservation.

In the idyllic village of Mizubiki, about two hours outside Tokyo, people live more or less as they always have, with respect for nature and the animals surrounding them. This is the home of the protagonist, Takumi, and his daughter. When property developers from the capital decide to establish «glamping cabins» in the village, the idyll is shattered. Behind the usual Japanese politeness, things are boiling under the surface when the villagers meet the capitalists from the big city. Not unlike Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud, Hamaguchi is able to portray recognizable, fallible people on film. No one is only good or bad, just like in real life, and the moral questions raised are as relevant as never before.

«The Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi follows his Oscar-winning “Drive My Car” with a hauntingly ambiguous drama of nature and capitalism in conflict.»

– Justin Chang, The New Yorker –

Jon Sæter

EVIL DOES NOT EXIST is this year’s closing film at Films from the South. In connection with the screening of the film at 1:00 PM at Vega Scene, we will be presenting the festival's main award, the Silver Mirror, and the award for best documentary, Doc:South.

Director

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (b. 1978) is a Japanese director and screenwriter. He first came to the attention of an international audience with Drive My Car in 2021, which earned him two Oscar nominations. For Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, he won the Silver Bear in Berlin the same year.

This film is part of