“Evil Does Not exist”, interview with the director Ryosuke Hamaguchi and the composer Eiko Ishibashi

September 9, 2023

Ryosuke Hamaguchi director, Eiko Ishibashi composer, "Evil Does Not Exist". The new collaboration between the two artists who brought us the magmnificent "Drive My Car"

"Evil Does Not exist", interview with the director Ryosuke Hamaguchi and the composer Eiko Ishibashi Angelo Acerbi

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“Evil Does Not exist” was born not as a movie but as a visual production linked to a new musical project of Eiko Ishibashi, who asked the director Ryosuke Hamaguchi some images for her new music. The result was so good and touching it would have been a waste not to create a whole new narrative feature with them.

A strict collaboration

Ryosuke Hamaguchi and Eiko Ishibashi collaborate since long time and their work are perfectly complementary. The way “Evil Does Not exist” is born shows perfectly how they work together as reciprocal inspiration

Landscape

The choice of the area of Japan where the film takes place was easy: Eiko Ishibashi lives there and her relation with the countryside, after having left the city, has changed and permeated her new music. So, having the film shot in that area was a natural conseguence of that.

Plot

Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a glamping site near Takumi’s house offering city residents a comfortable “escape” to nature. When two company representatives from Tokyo arrive in the village to hold a meeting, it becomes clear that the project will have a negative impact on the local water supply, causing unrest. The agency’s mismatched intentions endanger both the ecological balance of the plateau and their way of life, with an aftermath that affects Takumi’s life deeply.

Written by: Angelo Acerbi

Mostra del Cinema di Venezia

Guest

Eiko Ishibashi Ryosuke Hamaguchi

Film

Evil does not exist

Festival

Mostra del Cinema di Venezia

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BFI London Film Fest

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