‘Drive My Car’ Director Hamaguchi Ryusuke on the Evolution of His New Film ‘Evil Does Not Exist’: ‘I Worked With a Different Mindset’
variety.comMark Schilling Japan Correspondent In 2021, Hamaguchi Ryusuke won truckloads of awards and nearly universal critical acclaim for his three-hour drama “Drive My Car,” including three prizes at Cannes and a best picture Academy Award nomination, the first ever for a Japanese film. (That Oscar went elsewhere, but “Drive My Car” was named best international feature film.) Instead of trying to top this triumph with a bigger budget and more internationally known names in the cast, Hamaguchi has returned to his indie roots with “Evil Does Not Exist,” which premieres in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival.
The film began life as a collaboration with singer-songwriter Ishibashi Eiko, who scored “Drive My Car,” to provide a visual backdrop for her live performances.
But instead of a music video, Hamaguchi made a 106-minute film with a slow-burn story about two representatives of a Tokyo talent agency trying to sell skeptical locals on a glamping site for city dwellers looking to camp in their unspoiled mountains.
Hamaguchi has also completed another film, “Gift,” with similar visuals but no dialogue that will premiere at Film Fest Ghent in Belgium in October and accompany Ishibashi at her concerts.
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