A haunting and entirely unexpected new cinematic experience from the Oscar winning director of DRIVE MY CAR, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, EVIL DOES NOT EXIST is tense eco-thriller set on the rural outskirts of Tokyo. Following Takumi and his eight-year-old daughter Hana, whose quiet lives are interrupted when two business people from Tokyo visit the town to propose a “glamping project” for city-dwellers who want an easier camping experience. Despite the project’s numerous flaws, including it destroying a local watering hole, it becomes obvious the proposal was only tokenistic and the lives of not only Takumi and Hana, but all the town’s inhabitants will change.
Featuring a staggering finale that will spark debate long after the credits, EVIL DOES NOT EXIST is a quiet and thought provoking masterpiece about the delicate balance between people and nature. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize. It also won Best Film at London Film Festival.
Grand Jury Prize WINNER – Venice Film Festival 2023
Best Film WINNER – London Film Festival 2023
Thursday 18th April
106 min
PG
Hitoshi Omika, Ayaka Shibutani, Ryûji Kosaka, Ryo Nishikawa, Hazuki Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Miura
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Drama
Japanese, with English subtitles
Pentridge Cinema, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Balwyn, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Brighton Bay, The Kino, Palace Westgarth, Palace Norton Street, Palace Central, Palace Moore Park, The Chauvel Cinema, Palace Byron Bay, Palace James St, Palace Barracks, Palace Electric Cinema, Palace Raine Square