Winning the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, Evil Does Not Exist is an utterly enchanting and thought-provoking eco-parable that marks the return of Oscar winning Drive My Car director Ryusuke Hamaguchi and composer Eiko Ishibashi. In a snow-swept village on the outskirts of Tokyo, single father and jack-of-all-trades Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) lives a simple life with and his eight-year-old daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa), surrounded by pristine lakes, mountains and roaming deer. When an urban development company proposes a ’glamping resort’ (fancy camping for rich tourists) nearby, Takumi and the townspeople warn that the development will threaten the delicate ecological balance that sustains their lives as well as the fauna and flora of the area. When their pleas are ignored and manipulated by the agents, it becomes clear that the lives of Takumi, Hana, and all the area's inhabitants will change.

Originating as a 30-minute silent accompaniment to Eiko Ishibashi’s haunting music, Evil Does Not Exist grew fast during production, evolving into a fully-fledged narrative feature ranking among Hamaguchi’s best. The result is an uneasy, quiet and meditative change of pace for the lyrical director – a blissful and unsettling affect you can't quite put your finger on, plunged to a whole new level by its staggering conclusion. Like a freshly discovered song, you’ll want to watch it again immediately to decipher its secret harmony. Evil Does Not Exist is easily one of our favourites of the year and has solidified Hamaguchi as one of the most talented and interesting filmmakers working today.