‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Blu-Ray Review – A Stunning Subversion From Ryusuke Hamaguchi

In a secluded, snowy mountain village, widower and single father Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) leads a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for a friend’s udon shop. Yet this peaceful existence is threatened when a pair of corporate reps (Ryuji Kosaka and Ayaka Shibutani) arrive to launch a glamping site, sparking resistance from community members who fear the project’s potentially pernicious impact on the environment. When Takumi—a respected local figure—is offered the conciliatory role of site caretaker, it becomes unclear where his loyalties lie. Evil Does Not Exist, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s much-anticipated follow-up to his Academy Award–winning Drive My Car, is a haunting, suspenseful meditation on humankind’s thorny relationship with nature, consumerism, and itself. Inspired by a collaboration with composer Eiko Ishibashi, the director showcases his masterful command of pacing and atmosphere to uncover the destructive forces lurking beneath the thin veneer of civilization.

For in-depth thoughts on Evil Does Not Exist, please see my colleague Brandon Lewis’s review from its original theatrical release here. 

Video Quality

Evil Does Not Exist comes to Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer in 1.66:1 courtesy of Janus Contemporaries which provides a sumptuous presentation that accurately captures the intended look of the film. This lovely presentation offers a stable and consistent image quality throughout without any unwieldy deficiencies. This production does not exhibit any signs of noise or compression as the imagery from Director of Photography Yoshio Kitagawa stuns in high definition. Colors are pure and deep when it comes to the landscapes, clothing, and production design. Skin tones look natural throughout the runtime with impeccable detail on display. This transfer achieves an ideal visual quality on Blu-Ray, and audiences should be more than pleased with the release. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Japanese which blooms just as wonderfully as the video side of the equation. The score from Eiko Ishibashi is showcased faithfully here with an enveloping use of the surround speakers that maintain the desired fidelity. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear without ever being overwhelmed by the environmental elements. The sound design is not overly complex, but it works perfectly well for what it is asked to do. The track thrives the most with the sounds of nature. The exterior soundscape is filled with little nuances that do a worthy job of transporting you to this space. Activity in the low end is modest yet helps provide additional texture to the world. This is a robust audio presentation that brings the movie to life in an unflappable manner. Optional English subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

The Janus Contemporaries Blu-Ray of Evil Does Not Exist includes a leaflet featuring the essay “Evil Does Not Exist: Sufficient Unto The Day” by Michael Joshua Rowin in which he provides some good insight into and analysis of the film that helps highlight the deeper themes on display. The on-disc special features are as follows:  

• Meet The Filmmakers: A great 19-minute conversation with director Ryusuke Hamaguchi in which he discusses the development of this story, the inspiration of various filmmakers such as John Cassavetes and Eric Rohmer, the importance of the music to making this film a reality, the deliberate nature of the camera movement, how this film differs from anything he has done before, and much more that you will not want to miss. 

• Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided. 

Final Thoughts

Evil Does Not Exist is a film with a lot of expectations attached to it thanks to the runaway success of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s runaway hit Drive My Car. While the director has made numerous films prior to this one, the sudden international spotlight is something that many artists may have wrestled with to detrimental results. Thankfully, ever the portrait of a pure creative figure, Hamaguchi followed his passions to a story that is very reserved yet unbelievably impactful. The film leaves you stunned and eager to return to it again to process more of what you just witnessed. It is a tremendous piece of work that challenges you in the best ways. Janus Contemporaries has released a fantastic new Blu-Ray with a flawless A/V presentation and a great interview with the director. Highly Recommended 

The Janus Contemporaries edition of Evil Does Not Exist will be available to purchase on December 17, 2024 on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Janus Contemporaries and The Criterion Collection have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.