First Look: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s 3-Hour ‘All of a Sudden,’ Starring Virginie Efira — Destined for Cannes

Recently, many non-French directors like Verhoeven, Linklater, Farhadi, Allen, and Jarmusch have been making films in France, drawn by the country’s strong support for filmmaking through grants and tax breaks, which make production easier for established auteurs. Here’s another one.

Ryusuke Hamaguchi has shot a film in France, titled “All of the Sudden,” which will feature female lead duo Virginie Efira (“Benedetta”) and Tao Okamoto (“The Wolverine”). A first look image of the film has been released — which can be seen above.

Turns out the film will likely have a similar runtime to Hamaguchi’s Oscar-winning “Drive My Car,” which clocked in at three hours; that’s what Efira told attendees a few months ago at the Marrakech Film Festival, where she added that she had to learn some Japanese for the upcoming film.

Set for release this year, with no doubt a Cannes premiere in mind, Efira says that Hamaguchi’s Paris-shot film has “astonishing formal choices,” and that the filmmaker “has a pretty unusual way of shooting.”

Hamaguchi co-wrote the screenplay with Léa Le Dimna. The story draws loose inspiration from “You and I – The Illness Suddenly Gets Worse,” a book by Makiko Miyano and Maho Isono that compiles a series of real-life letters exchanged between the two authors. Here’s the synopsis (via Variety)

Marie-Lou Fontaine (Efira), a director of a nursing home in the Paris suburbs, defies convention by adopting the “Humanitude” method despite her team’s resistance. Her encounter with Mari Morisaki (Okamoto), a terminally ill Japanese playwright, transforms her life. Together, they turn the facility into a symbol of resistance and humanity against the system’s limits.

“All of the Sudden” will mark Hamaguchi’s first production outside of Japan and Korea. His 2021 film “Drive My Car” won acclaim at Cannes and secured a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, which has firmly established him on the international stage.

Hamaguchi’s earlier films — the highly praised five-hour “Happy Hour” and the overlooked “Asako I & II” — helped lay the groundwork for his success. His other 2021 release, the captivating triptych “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” is also worth watching; some even find it equal to or better than “Drive My Car.”

In the meantime, if you haven’t seen Hamaguchi’s last one, “Evil Does Not Exist,” it is available digitally. This was a slow-burning film that rewards patient viewers with a powerful ending. Featuring long takes, scenic nature shots, and a gentle score by Eiko Ishibashi, it gradually unfolds its themes — and the payoff is shattering.