3.5/5 stars
Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, winner of the best international feature film Oscar in 2022 for Drive My Car, returns with Evil Does Not Exist, an engaging but elusive rural drama.The film, which premieres in competition at the Venice International Film Festival, begins with the camera gazing skywards towards the treetops as Eiko Ishibashi’s emotive score swells in the air.
The focus then turns to Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), an odd-job man or “jack-of-all-trades”, as he later calls himself, chopping wood by his cabin in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo.
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We see him gathering water from a stream in plastic cans, a life-giving force that he provides to fellow villagers. He has an eight-year-old daughter, Hana (Ryo Nishikawa), to care for too.
At first, Evil Does Not Exist looks to be as gentle as its lead character. But things change when the villagers all take a meeting with two Tokyo types, employed by a company that has bought a patch of land and is planning to build a glamping site for tourists.
Leading the briefing is Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka), a talent agent, and the sensitive Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), who are soon confronted by the villagers’ concerns.
A planned septic tank may harm the natural spring water, while the lack of 24-hour supervision means there is a danger of wildfires if rowdy city dwellers set late-night barbecues ablaze.
When Takahashi and Mayuzumi report back to their client, he is not concerned about these grumbles, and suggests they win favour with the villagers by appointing Takumi caretaker of the site.
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Immediately, there’s a disparity between this slick Tokyo developer (who says things like “a little pollution won’t affect the water”) and the humble villagers.
Mayuzumi concedes their worries are genuine, while even Takahashi develops sympathies. When he sees Takumi chopping wood, he follows suit, this simple action bringing him unbridled happiness.
Where the film confuses is in the final act, with a narrative development involving Hana. No spoilers here, but Hamaguchi seems to be suggesting that evil very much does exist, even in this bucolic and tranquil environment.
It’s an ending that will probably be debated, much in the way the conclusion to Michael Haneke’s Hidden once was, as it recalls words spoken at the meeting earlier when Mayuzumi and Takahashi first arrive: “Your actions will turn my world upside down.”
As the final shot, this time at night, reflects the opening, the camera gliding through the woods, it appears that humanity can surprise us, for better or worse.
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