The US theatrical premiere of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist opens on Friday, May 3 at Film Forum.

Oscar®-winning Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) “sets his newest feature in an idyllic forest community outside Tokyo, where corporate invaders have bought choice land for a glamping site. Taciturn widower Takumi gathers wild wasabi and stream water for a local udon restaurant, splits wood with Zen precision, and occasionally forgets to fetch his 8-year-old daughter from school — while shots of deer hunters echo through nearby fields. He and two company reps become comically unlikely bedfellows, and together they ultimately confront the mysterious, unsettling forces of both nature and human nature.”

The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury prize and FIPRESCI Critics’ Award. It also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and BFI London Film Festival, where it was awarded Best Film in Official Competition.

This is the third film by Hamaguchi to premiere at Film Forum, following successful runs of the Best International Feature Oscar®-winning (Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, and Director Oscar®-nominated) Drive My Car and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy in 2021-2022. 

Check out the film’s trailer below: