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Venice 2023: Evil Does Not Exist director on movie’s title and the problem with ‘urbanites coming into nature’
- Oscar-winning Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi explains how creating a film almost symphonic in nature made for a totally new way of working for him
- He admits to being influenced by stories of pollution in the Japanese media, and says that the film’s ‘confusing’ ending is ‘hopefully in a good way’
Reading Time:4 minutes
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When a filmmaker from outside America wins an Oscar, you might think this is his time to be courted by Hollywood.
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“I didn’t get a phone call,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi says with a laugh.
The 44 year-old Japanese director enjoyed enormous success with Drive My Car, his three-hour opus about a stage actor/director facing a personal crisis. After winning Best Screenplay at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, the film was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2022, winning one for Best International Feature.
An unorthodox filmmaker – his 2015 film Happy Hour ran to over five hours in length – he clearly hasn’t let this unexpected success go to his head.
“To be honest, my life hasn’t changed that much,” he tells the Post. “In fact, if young Japanese directors today came over to see where I live, I think they’ll be disappointed in what they find.”
When we meet at this year’s Venice International Film Festival, he appears as humble and softly spoken as this suggests.
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