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Evil Does Not Exist
​​Aku wa sonzai shinai

Hamaguchi Ryūsuke  •   Japan  • ​  2023
106 mins  •  HD  •   PG violence
​In Japanese with English subtitles


A modern eco-fable that provides a gorgeous meditation on humanity's relationship with nature, and an unnerving commentary on the price of progress.

​“Mesmerises as much as it mystifies… Breathe in its secrets” – Total Film
DIRECTOR: Hamaguchi Ryūsuke
PRODUCER: Takata Satoshi
PRODUCTION CO: NEOPA
SCREENPLAY: Hamaguchi Ryūsuke
​
PHOTOGRAPHY: Kitagawa Yoshio
EDITOR: Hamaguchi Ryūsuke, Yamazaki Azusa
MUSIC: Ishibashi Eiko
WITH: Omika Hitoshi (Yasumura Takumi), Nishikawa Ryo (Yasumura Hana), Kosaka Ryuji (Takahashi Keisuke), Shibutani Ayaka (Mayuzumi Yūko), Kikuchi Hazuki (Minemura Sachi), Miura Hiroyuki (Minemura Kazuo) 

​​FESTIVALS: Venice (Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize)

REVIEWS

“Set in a small rural village a short drive from Tokyo, Evil Does Not Exist follows taciturn woodsman Takumi (a splendid debut by Hitoshi Omika) as he is inadvertently embroiled in plans to bring a high-end glamping retreat to the isolated idyll. Not only is the single father’s placid daily life of wood-chopping and child-rearing set to be upended, but the entire village’s delicate subsistence is threatened by this urban intrusion.Explored in long, languorous shots, Harasawa seems to be a town outside of time, its residents living in gentle symbiosis with their environment. But the community is thrust into a very specific present when representatives of Tokyo company Playmode arrive to fast-track a ruinous project in order to take advantage of post-pandemic government subsidies… Hamaguchi slowly steers the film away from simplistic morality tale, imbuing every character with such generous empathy that passing judgement becomes as difficult as untangling the interactions between culture and the natural world. Beautifully lensed and deliberately paced, Evil Does Not Exist starts as a gentle stroll through a world of flawed heroes, complicit victims, and vacillating villains, before pitching towards a startling crescendo.”

– Adrian Hatwell, Whānau Mārama NZIFF 2024




FILM SOCIETY SCREENINGS

​Timaru     
Tuesday, 10 February, 6.30pm
 ​

​Palmerston North     
Wednesday, 04 March, 6.00pm
 

​Westport     
Wednesday, 11 March, 7.00pm
 

​Bigger Picture Ōamaru
Tuesday, 31 March, 7.00pm

Tauranga
Wednesday, 15 April, 6.00pm

Auckland
Tuesday, 28 April, 6.15pm

Dunedin
Wednesday, 20 May, 7.30pm

Carterton
Friday, 29 May, 7.30pm


Wellington     
Monday, 13 July, 6.00pm

Wellington     
Monday, 13 July, 800pm

Queenstown
Tuesday, 25 August, 8.00pm


Whanganui   
Monday, 14 September, 7.00pm

Nelson
Wednesday, 14 October, 6.00pm


New Plymouth
Wednesday, 28 October, 6.00pm

​Canterbury     
Monday, 9 November, 7.00pm
 

CONTEMPORARY JAPAN >> ​ ​

Film Societies of Aotearoa New Zealand

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New Zealand Federation of Film Societies  |  PO Box 9544, Te Aro, Wellington, NZ  
Phone: +64 4 385 0162  |  Fax: +64 4 801 7304  |  Email: [email protected]
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • SOCIETIES
    • AUCKLAND
    • HAMILTON
    • TAURANGA
    • NEW PLYMOUTH
    • WHANGANUI
    • PALMERSTON NORTH
    • CARTERTON
    • WELLINGTON
    • NELSON
    • CANTERBURY
    • TIMARU
    • OAMARU
    • QUEENSTOWN
    • DUNEDIN
    • WESTPORT
  • 2026 SEASON
    • MIKHAIL KALATOZOV
    • HONG KONG CLASSICS
    • MUSICAL NOT MUSICAL
    • 70s THRILLERS
    • CONTEMPORARY JAPAN
    • KIWI CINEMA
    • RETRO CLASSICS
    • CULT FAVOURITES
    • FRENCH CONNECTIONS
    • GERMAN CINEMA
    • WORLD CINEMA