By John Corrado

★★★½ (out of 4)

The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7th to 17th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

The latest film from Japanese filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, following his Oscar-winning Drive My Car, Evil Does Not Exist is a very interesting cinematic experience that mixes elements of nature film, eco-drama and thriller. It’s in a different vein from the character drama Drive My Car, but absorbing in its own right.

The film follows Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), who lives in the forest outside Tokyo with his 8-year-old daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). Takumi spends his days chopping wood and collecting water from the streams, which he provides to other locals, while Hana loves to explore the woods around her. But their way of life is threatened by corporate developers, who want to build a “glamping” site in the middle of the woods as a tourist destination for people from the city.

The first act of the film captures the rhythms of Takumi’s life, showing how they rely on the forest and fresh water from the streams for every aspect of their lives. This gives way to a consultation meeting that the developers of the glamping project hold with the locals, which Hamaguchi captures almost like a Frederick Wiseman documentary, as they raise concerns about the environmental impacts and the interruptions to their way of life.

Whether in long takes of the characters simply existing in nature or extended dialogue scenes that recall his previous feature, Hamaguchi’s shifting perspectives over the course of the film make Evil Does Not Exist a compelling watch, as he builds to a haunting, enigmatic last act that has the feel of a folk tale. The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa (it looked totally immersive on Scotiabank’s IMAX screen during the festival), and features a beautiful score by composer Eiko Ishibashi that always serves to compliment the visuals.

Public Screenings: Tuesday, September 12th, 3:30 PM at TIFF Bell Lightbox; Wednesday, September 13th, 4:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Sunday, September 17th, 2:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre