Aku wa sonzai shinai - Evil Does Not Exist Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Aku wa sonzai shinai - Evil Does Not Exist
Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Starrings: Hitoshi Omika, Ryô Nishikawa, Ryûji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani, Hazuki Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Miura
Origin: Japan
Year 2023
Review author: Shane Virunphan
Click Here for Italian Version
“I work for the country.”
In Shinto, nature (shinzen) has the characteristic of spontaneity:
“The creator is non-existent, and things are produced by themselves.” (1)
The split between heaven and earth occurs, subsequently the kami, the gods, arrive:
“ … the kami are men, but also «the extreme variety of birds, animals, trees and plants, no less than the mountains, the seas, and so on... “. (1)
Shinto is the "Way of the spirits" and spirits are everywhere, both in man and in nature.
Spirits through nature have always been present in Japanese literature. Among his contemporaries there is invariably Murakami Haruki in whom realism, adolescence, interiority, depression, the search for the meaning of life are mixed with excursions of imagination, dreams, magic. Often the world becomes unreal, incomprehensible, without logic.
Writer Murakami Haruki collaborated with emerging director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi.
These artistic similarities can be seen in the film Aku wa sonzai shinai - Evil Does Not Exist, presented at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. Its validity was rewarded by the jury by awarding the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize to Ryûsuke Hamaguchi.
What are the essential points of communion with the spiritual genre, magical naturalism?
In a small village in a mountainous area of Japan, life proceeds peacefully, outwardly happy, with strong human relationships, sincere friendship, simple gestures, healthy food, very fresh water. Around there is an intense, vigorous nature, snow, trees, streams. Inhabitants and nature coexist peacefully, without attacking each other.
At the beginning there is a little girl, Hana, in a forest. It's winter but the snow is melting. A man is cutting wood, nearby there is a house and some cars. It's the father, Takumi. No words, no noise, it is a silent, spontaneous paradise.
After this rather long presentation comes the conflict, the threat for the worrying community.
Two brokers from a Tokyo company arrive in the country. They plan to build a glambing site. Glamping
“... it is an experience in which traditional camping activities are accompanied by so-called "amenities" and, in some cases, resort-style services. It has become particularly popular in the 21st century, especially among tourists who want to enjoy the escape and adventurousness of camping, without giving up the luxuries of a hotel. The word glamping is a fruit salad word born from the fusion between glamor and camping.” (2)
Tout court, it is an elegant way for the rich to destroy nature without having the guilt of the poor. Their wealth is satisfied with sleeping in a tent even if it is super comfortable.
The main consequence for the village would be the contamination of the pure water. The septic tank would be contaminated by glamping moneyed people, resulting in the end of an Eden.
The citizens in the meeting reject the idea as unsafe and dangerous to the social order.
In the epilogue, Hana disappears and everyone searches for her. She is with a deer.
And the intermediaries who returned on behalf of the company to convince the residents? What is their punishment?
Father Takumi knows this well.
The director's arguments are philosophical, sensational. Starting from the ethical and moral one, the concept of evil. Does evil exist? Ryûsuke Hamaguchi says:
“I want the title to help put forward a thought for people, because ultimately I don’t know whether evil exists or not,” he explains. “But I think it’s hard to say that it doesn’t exist after watching this film; I don’t think you can completely say so.” (3)
Well yes. After watching the film you are certain of the reality of evil. Maybe this security was present before? But the question should be different: why does evil arise and make reckless gestures in a charming village? Why does it affect nature, in shinzen, where kami are born? Evil doesn't exist? Obviously, it exists since nature is not innocent either. The director states it:
“I was looking at nature and the title was a naturally occurring idea as you see in the film. In the beginning, you see the trees passing by and see the young girl. In a sense, it’s from the girl’s perspective. I think that anyone watching from the very beginning would not think that evil doesn’t exist in this kind of environment. Of course, there are plenty of things that are violent that happen in nature — earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. But I don’t think that anyone would say these things are evil; they’re just naturally occurring. I was using this title as my project title and I don’t think that anyone watching this film would come away with this idea that evil doesn’t exist but there was a special tension happening between the title and the narrative of the film so I decided to keep it.” (4)
Violence belongs to nature. The director does not exceed the alert level, but those who live there, like Takumi, are aware of the multitude of aspects of the environment.
When the lion bites to eat a sweet zebra, is nature good or bad? It's bad at least for the harmless zebra. It's good for the lion, it's his only way to survive. Takumi is like a lion. Glambing is bad, so is killing to defend the village bad or self-defense?
There is not just one protagonist but a vast number of people form a single character. They are the villagers. They are like herons, patiently waiting for prey. They have a rather particular way of having fun.
The inhabitants do not appear anxious, they are undoubtedly not apathetic, they are not weak but they are distrustful and probably self-destructive. They are hieratic, aware of the presence of spirits in pristine areas.
And they are a bit selfish, their environment is inviolable and they don't want to share it. They are angry, irascible with those who try to pollute them. And they are also bad; Does evil arise from them?
What style and language does the director use? It absolutely abounds with trees, snow, rivulets, animals, wood. He builds a feeling of claustrophobia when he shoots the foliage of the shrubs from below and the little girl walks around, observing, knowing all the names of the plants. The forest is a closed world, just as the village is closed. The dominant nature is also composed of the father, the daughter, and the entire population.
And there is the magic of the deer. It appears, it disappears, it is majestic in its beauty. Is the deer a spirit? Is he the one running the community?
The water is pristine. Fresh, good. So pure that it can be scooped up with a ladle and poured into a tank. Water qualities also affect restaurant noodles in the village. They are exquisite.
The color is clear, clean and makes the area heavenly. And paradise needs taciturnity, so the scenes continue without dialogue, very long sequences, and many, many trees.
In a wild place, natural wasabi cannot be missing to enhance the metaphor of ecological exaggeration.
The structure includes an extensive environmental introduction. It is deliberately necessary for this type of film. Then begins the conflict with Takahashi and Mayuzumi, elusive and insincere representatives of the company. They are guilty of an invasive threat in peaceful civilization. The conflict with the local population is decided, even a little racist as when a young man from the village refuses to greet them and turns his back on them.
They represent their opposite. I am from Tokyo and I am the result of a modern city, with high density, with increasingly complicated and cold connections. During the car journey they talk a lot about their lives, their relationships. They are dissatisfied, dejected, sad, alone, without romantic relationships. They discuss applications to find a partner, but even this attempt has failed miserably. The pandemic and the isolation of quarantine have increased their loneliness and discontent. They are disheartened. The encounter with a totally opposite life increases their desolation. Man would like to change. He wants to try chopping wood. At first glance it is easy, but it turns into an impossible activity. Only Takumi's outwardly banal and naive suggestions open his mind and allow him to chop wood.
The twist is the open ending. All interpretations are right since there is no exact answer. This conclusion is intentionally inscrutable, as the director confirms:
“Confusion is what I wanted.” (5)
But brain fog is nice, but there's more:
“I think the way to answer this is that I’m actually looking forward to seeing how audiences will interpret this. I did have some preview screenings and heard surprising interpretations from people so I’m looking forward to being surprised. There are some ideas within me but ultimately I want people to enjoy the ending. Part of me also wants people to feel a certain kind of hesitation towards it as well. That idea of hesitation is cinema.” (6)
The open ending is a game, an intellectual reflection, a provocation, a philosophical speculation on evil.
If this is the aim, the result is excellent. Apparently slow, the film has pace, emotion, tension, suspense, psychological attraction of the characters, dialogue motivation, Japanese culture, intelligent literature.
The atmosphere is third and brilliant, the chromatism is perfect, the ethical elements of good and evil are confused, overturned until they demonstrate the opposite: evil is in good, in paradise and in its inhabitants.
Leonardo Vittorio Arena, Lo spirito del Giappone. La filosofia del Sol Levante dalle origini ai giorni nostri, I edizione BUR Saggi, Milano, gennaio 2008 Translated by authour
Alex Denney, “Ryusuke Hamaguchi on Evil Does Not Exist: “I Love Being Puzzled”, 7 settembre 2023,https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/15094/ryusuke-hamaguchi-evil-does-not-exist-interview-venice-film-festival
Nobuhiro Hosoki, “NYFF : Evil Does Not Exist : Q&A with Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi”, October 25, 2023,https://cinemadailyus.com/interviews/nyff-evil-does-not-exist-qa-with-director-ryusuke-hamaguchi/
Alex Denney, “Ryusuke Hamaguchi on Evil Does Not Exist: “I Love Being Puzzled”, 7 settembre 2023,https://www.anothermag.com/design-living/15094/ryusuke-hamaguchi-evil-does-not-exist-interview-venice-film-festival
Michael Rosser, Ryusuke Hamaguchi talks ‘Evil Does Not Exist’: “It felt like shooting a film for the first time”, 4 September 2023, https://www.screendaily.com/features/ryusuke-hamaguchi-talks-evil-does-not-exist-it-felt-like-shooting-a-film-for-the-first-time/5185547.article