Evil Does Not Exist

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Evil Does Not Exist

Released May 3, 2024

1h 46m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

162 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

In the rural alpine hamlet of Mizubiki, not far from Tokyo, Takumi and his daughter, Hana, lead a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for the local udon restaurant. Increasingly, the townsfolk become aware of a talent agency's plan to build an opulent glamping site nearby, offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to the snowy wilderness. When two company representatives arrive and ask for local guidance, Takumi becomes conflicted in his involvement, as it becomes clear that the project will have a pernicious impact on the community. Ryusuke Hamaguchi's follow up to his Academy Award®-winning DRIVE MY CAR is a foreboding fable on humanity's mysterious, mystical relationship with nature. As sinister gunshots echo from the forest, both the locals and representatives confront their life choices and the haunting consequences they have.

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Critics Consensus

Evil Does Not Exist stands on the battle lines between modern civilization and the natural world, offering a perspective that's as quietly measured as it is entrancing.

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Moira MacDonald

Seattle Times

It’s about how the indigo darkness of a forest at night becomes a blanket, and about how the arrival of strangers can change a place (or change the strangers), and about the idea of something precious being forever lost.

Rated: 3.5/4

May 22, 2024

Full Review

Justin Chang

NPR

As he's done before, Hamaguchi gives us characters who are too complicated and richly drawn to be reduced to any one type. Yet that doesn't explain how hauntingly different this movie feels from his other work.

May 14, 2024

Full Review

Peter Rainer

FilmWeek (LAist)

It does reflect some of the struggles in modern Japan between rural and urban, but I thought it was a little bit too slow and not up to par.

May 13, 2024

Full Review

Samantha Schuster

Cinéfilo Serial

A film that offers a stinging critique through its effective use of visual and audio elements that create a tense atmosphere rooted in nature. [Full Review in Spanish]

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 18, 2025

Full Review

Anna Hoang

Boston Hassle

While ambiguous motives are concealed behind the sparsely translated images and off-screen gunshots, the borderline surrealism finds itself present within the negative space and unspoken desire.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 13, 2025

Full Review

Julian Singleton

Cinapse

By shifting its focus away from our ability to speak and act, Evil Does Not Exist removes humanity from the center of its own narrative.

Jul 11, 2025

Full Review

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Michael Marchaino

this movie touched me in many ways. LOVED THE STORYLINE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE Plot LOVED THE ACTING PARTICULARLY THE YOUNG boy and his interaction with the corporate entity imposing the building lot clamping site and the environmental impact to the streams. hat ran. downhill

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/08/24

Full Review

Sue

Soooo slow. And yet.sooo ambiguous

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/27/24

Full Review

Marsh

Ryusuke did it again!! Really enjoyed this film as much as I did Drive My Car. The story, tempo, and cinematography were great!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/26/24

Full Review

Pete D

Though the film had some great moments other moments mDe the the film feel disjointed and were shot oddly. I think there are some cultural contexts that perhaps that I don't understand.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/24/24

Full Review

Roy J

Very slow start, but drama gets intriguing. Nice to see some corporate employees having empathy for the villagers and not just being greedy evil people. These characters wouldn't have existed in an American set movie. I liked it, but not sure I understood the ending.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/22/24

Full Review

ALR

Absolutely terrible movie

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

05/19/24

Full Review

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Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Director

Hitoshi Omika

Takumi

Ryo Nishikawa

Hana

Ryuji Kosaka

Takahashi

Ayaka Shibutani

Actor

Hazuki Kikuchi

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Evil Does Not Exist: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In the rural alpine hamlet of Mizubiki, not far from Tokyo, Takumi and his daughter, Hana, lead a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for the local udon restaurant. Increasingly, the townsfolk become aware of a talent agency's plan to build an opulent glamping site nearby, offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to the snowy wilderness. When two company representatives arrive and ask for local guidance, Takumi becomes conflicted in his involvement, as it becomes clear that the project will have a pernicious impact on the community. Ryusuke Hamaguchi's follow up to his Academy Award®-winning DRIVE MY CAR is a foreboding fable on humanity's mysterious, mystical relationship with nature. As sinister gunshots echo from the forest, both the locals and representatives confront their life choices and the haunting consequences they have.

Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Producer: Satoshi Takata
Screenwriter: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Distributor: Sideshow / Janus Films
Production Co: Fictive , NEOPA
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): May 3, 2024, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $829.6K
Runtime: 1h 46m

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