Evil Does Not Exist (2023) review

Residents of the Mizubiki community, including "handyman" Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), who has an eight-year-old daughter named Hana (Ryo Nishikawa), restaurant owners Kazuo (Hiroyuki Miura) and his wife Sachi (Hazuki Kikuchi) as well as mayor Ippei Suruga (Taijirō Tamura), are irate an entertainment company wants to use their region for a 'glamorized camping' (or "glamping") site, so the agency reps ask Takumi to be their "consultant" for the project.  Supposedly, Hamaguchi based his "script" on the score by Eiko Ishibashi - and not the other way around - which might explain its askew nature and that dopey ending, which involves Hana going missing, a wounded deer and a strangulation ... or maybe not.  The director himself has noted that he's not sure what it means, but in terms of technique he's mighty skilled: few filmmakers could make a town meeting so compelling, and the film has an almost jazz-like texture to it.