The second Japanese filmmaker to premiere in the competition this year, Ryusuke Hamaguchi doesn’t have an extensive Cannes history with only Asako I & II competed in 2018 and 2021’s Best International Feature Film Oscar winner Drive My Car (Best Screenplay in Cannes) running in the comp. His latest comes after winning the Grand Jury Prize prize for 2023’s Evil Does Not Exist. His themes of communication as performance, chance encounters that transform identity, and the entire notion of loss and grief are also present here. All of a Sudden is about the director of a care facility in the Parisian suburbs who adopts the “Humanitude” method of care despite resistance from part of her staff. Her encounter with Mari, a Japanese theatre director battling cancer, will profoundly reshape her path. Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto star in this France, Japan, Germany, Belgium co-production. This is competition film #5 of 22.
On his previous two times in the competition, Asako I & II received an average score of 2.7, while Drive My Car owned the our grid with the top average score of 3.8. Lengthy run time meant an early world premiere just after lunch today and while the grades are still rolling in for All of a Sudden but we are looking at an average of 3.3 for the Neon film. Check back tomorrow for a better picture.
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