All of a Sudden (Hamaguchi, 2026) - TIFF ‘26

It is strange how over three hours of a film can follow simply two women talking to each other for the majority of the runtime and yet you still, as the viewer, find yourself in disarray at the end. Not many films are able to last that long, and yet albeit be able to deliver such an impact by the finish. For Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, his latest film does just that and more. Who could have known that two females, amidst two professional careers, could find a medium let alone find a way to connect with the outside world. Yet, in All of a Sudden, both protagonists find themselves connecting with each other but further connecting their ideas with the audience who follow them along their journey.

Known for his slow burn feature films, Hamaguchi has created beautiful pieces such as Drive My Car (2021), and most recently Evil Does Not Exist (2023). Seemingly with nothing occurring on the surface apart from such subtle interactions, it is the message(s) that hide beneath which leave their greatest impact. All of a Sudden, perhaps does this to an even greater extend. As audiences witness the exchange between characters, it only makes more sense as to how Hamaguchi’s two protagonists took home the Best Actress Award at Cannes together.

It is June 6, 2025, and audiences are introduced to Marie-Lou (Virginie Efira), newly appointed director of an elderly care facility in Paris. Wanting to launch a newly created concept of Humanitude to her staff, Marie-Lou and colleagues do their best in sessions. It becomes something a bit too difficult at times for her and colleagues, however. As many push back against the need to give patients more than enough time, while others understand its importance. All in all, becoming entirely about funding and the lack of staff more than anything.

On one commute home, she sees a young boy wandering the streets. Knowing he needs someone, she sits with him until his grandfather Goro Kiyomiya (Kyõzõ Nagatsuka) and friend Mari Morisaki (Tao Okamoto) arrive. An instant moment of connection appears between Marie-Lou and Mari, developing a sense of understanding and interest between the two. She invites Marie-Lou along to her theatre show. Vital to their connection, this first reaction of Mari’s show is where the spark further ignites between the two women.

Mari’s play focuses on Italian psychiatrist Franco Basaglia’s vision, Up Close, No One Is Normal. In watching the performance, the ideas of challenging institutional confinement give Marie-Lou the chance to reflect and rethink the care provided in her facility. And additionally to her new outlook, the revelation of Mari’s cancer diagnosis drives this will for proper care even further forward.

Like all Hamaguchi pieces, his films feel more poetic and cinematic above all else. Never specific to being about the film itself, he gives each viewer the chance to feel space within what they watch. Taking the soul out of the body and pushing for thorough thinking and reflection to commence. In All of a Sudden, it remains just the same but looks more into relationships and the projection of interactions with those in our lives. As Marie-Lou and Mari find themselves moving through time, closer and closer to the inevitable, the audience must decide where they personally want to go next.

Sharing not only their talents, but the wisdom of their characters, Efira and Okamoto work hand in hand in their approach to the world. Bringing Hamaguchi’s vision of care and vulnerability to life, their emotions are soft and subtle. Never inherently speaking in their proper languages, the two jump between French and Japanese, reminding the audience of the importance of a different kind of communication. Physical and without words, these two perform in the realm of extraordinary. Creating a dance in such a rigorous and open style, All of a Sudden’s leading ladies hold the piece to a high standard.

Through the mellow landscape of a Parisian scenery and care home, Hamaguchi works more on the importance of how we live our best lives. Though surrounding the idea of care in an elderly home, it hides the true ideas within. Time is something we rarely consider in life, yet each of us are truly unaware of how much we will have. In a beautiful piece of cinema, the viewer can take it upon themselves to be given the time and peace to reflect inward. Looking at the empathy we can show others, but also ourselves in the time we have on Earth.

Almost dark in a way, All of a Sudden is so much more when you give it the chance. Two stellar women lead the way, and just as the title suggests, it happens in one simple moment. You do not see it coming, like in life itself. Then, before you know it, the film is within you and perspectives change. A clever and touching idea under the surface of intimacy, care, and beauty.