• 悪は存在しない (Evil Does Not Exist)

9/11/24 (Wed)

Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s (Drive My Car) latest. Small-town folk deep in the Nagano countryside lead a hard-scrabble life in their beautiful natural setting, their basic needs met thanks to the wealth of resources in the area. The main character, a widowed father of a teenaged girl, spends his time chopping logs and gathering water, often so absorbed that he forgets to pick up his daughter from school. A company is eyeing the spot for a gramping site in order to take advantage of soon-to-expire pandemic subsidies. It employs a television talent agency to give a presentation to the local population in what it sees as a mere formality. However, the locals prove less pliant than anticipated. They ask penetrating questions about the placement and volume of the planned septic tank, which could impact their water supply. The surprised reps, totally out of their league, give bland reassurances but fail to persuade the skeptical town folk. They promise to return with better answers, but the female rep in particular is uneasy after hearing the people’s doubts.

The two reps go back to the village on their own to learn more. The woodcutter shows them around, giving them tips on how to chop wood and observations from nature, such as that wild deer are not dangerous unless they are hurt. The male rep is especially taken with the surroundings and eagerly wants to exit city life and join the village. Word suddenly comes in that the woodcutter’s daughter, again forgotten at school, has failed to come home after wandering through the perilous woods. The father and male rep finally spot her standing before a wounded deer. She is looking at the deer as if to approach it. The rep bounds instinctively to help her, but the father grabs him and chokes him unconscious. We next see the father carrying away his daughter, who may or may not be dead.

The film seems deliberately obscure. The pace is excruciatingly slow, with numerous shots of trees and sky taken from the ground up. The languid style presumably aims to replicate the slow country lifestyle, but it can be trying. The highlight is an expertly scripted meeting between the villagers and reps, clearly elucidating the issues and making its point efficiently. I wish the rest of the movie could have been this concise.

The ending went over my head. I suppose the woodcutter is reacting to his own irresponsibility as a father and resents the outsider taking charge, which would fit the movie’s theme. But choking the man, possibly to death (the film is not clear), is a step too dumb. The wounded deer as a symbol of the village is obvious but fine. I wish Hamaguchi were less consciously mysterious and truer to human nature.

The photography is beautiful, and the story gorgeously rendered. The acting is spot on other than the over-evil company owner. The woodcutter is clearly an amateur actor but felt real in his reticence; it proved adept casting. Also, a great musical score. While the director overall seems to be trying too hard, he does offer a lovely production.