UPDATE: Looks like Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden” will be a big swing. We figured it would have a similar runtime to his “Drive My Car.” That’s what Virginie Efira had told attendees last fall at the Marrakech Film Festival, hinting that the film clocked in at around 180 minutes.
However, according to Écran Large’s Alexandre Janowiak, the official runtime for “All of a Sudden” will be a whopping 3 hours and 16 minutes. I doubt there will be a longer film in this year’s competition. If you’re not a fan of Hamaguchi, consider yourself warned. For everyone else, it’ll be bliss.
Other Cannes clockings mentioned by Janowiak include Almodovar’s “Bitter Christmas” (111 minutes), Asghar Farhadi’s “Parallel Stories” (139 minutes) and Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The Beloved” (135 minutes).
EARLIER: 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 teaser of the film has been released — Neon is backing US rights.
Turns out the film, which is a cinch to compete for the Palme d’Or, will likely have a similar runtime to Hamaguchi’s Oscar-winning “Drive My Car,” which clocked in at three hours. 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.
“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.”His last film, 2023’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” was a slow-burning film that rewarded patient viewers with a powerful ending.