Evil Does Not Exist

This is what it feels like for a film to re-wire your brain and expectations of pacing and how a story unfolds. The 1st third of the movie acclimates you to the meditative pace of our main character’s life and progressively hastens as fears of globalization and capitalist encroachment become real. But just as we, the outsiders, were familiarized with the slow life, so to are the city folk who come from Tokyo. What began as symbolic corporate outreach becomes a genuine appreciation for the town’s reliance on its natural resources and the delicate balance the townspeople seek to maintain. The juxtaposition of norms is beautiful as those with all the comforts of modernity realize these are not what make them happy.