Every post-pandemic year has been one of commercial frustration and artistic anxiety for the movies. The theatrical experience feels under constant threat; each new generation is supposedly more distracted than the last.
This year has certainly been an odd one, particularly from a commercial perspective. Hollywood seems to be shifting away from the superhero industry, following decades of reliable box-office domination, but the next trend has not yet emerged.
I'm heartened, though, by the broad swath of genres and storytelling approaches of my favorite movies this year, made by a mix of rising filmmakers and established figures.
But Hamaguchi is a master of the slow narrative burn, and the minor municipal drama of Evil Does Not Exist eventually reflects the discomfort of a society that feels out of balance, thanks to humanity's encroachment on the natural world.
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