Ronny Sianturi
When Tao Okamoto first encountered the script for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, a single scene crystallized the profound artistic opportunity before her. It depicted her character, Mari, a celebrated playwright, delivering a lengthy and intricate monologue dissecting the systemic failings of modern capitalism. The sequence, characterized by its interwoven arguments and visual aids—Mari drawing whiteboard graphics to articulate her complex points—resonated deeply with Okamoto’s own contemplations. “This is something that I’d been thinking about over the years—and I got to lecture people on it in the movie, it’s amazing,” Okamoto shared, reflecting on the scene’s intellectual rigor and its potential to foster understanding. “I think it will help a lot of people to connect the dots. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any movie explain and verbalize the system of capitalism and where we are like this.”
While All of a Sudden is far from an academic treatise, eschewing dry exposition for a richly textured and emotionally expansive exploration of human connection, this intellectually charged scene served as a pivotal moment for Okamoto. It underscores Hamaguchi’s distinctive directorial approach: imbuing profound ideas within intimate, character-driven narratives. This is a hallmark of his work, most notably demonstrated in his Oscar-winning Drive My Car, a three-hour epic that garnered critical acclaim and historic nominations for Japanese cinema. His previous film, Evil Does Not Exist, examined the encroaching impact of industrialization on the natural world. With All of a Sudden, a film also exceeding three hours and set to premiere at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, Hamaguchi pivots his focus to the multifaceted nature of caretaking.
Loosely adapted from the novel You and I—The Illness Suddenly Get Worse, with a screenplay co-written by Léa Le Dimna and Hamaguchi, the film intricately charts the evolving bond between Mari, a playwright facing a terminal cancer diagnosis while staging a new production near the Seine River, and Marie-Lou, the director of a Parisian nursing home. Their initial encounter in a park, where Mari invites Marie-Lou to attend her play, blossoms into a profound connection. Marie-Lou’s attendance and subsequent engagement with Mari’s work mark the beginning of a series of extended conversations. These dialogues, often conducted with Marie-Lou speaking in French and Mari in Japanese (though both actors demonstrate fluency in each other’s languages, occasionally switching), become a cornerstone of the film. Over a compressed period, their shared vulnerability and intellectual curiosity foster a deep reliance, extending beyond emotional support to encompass practical caretaking. This dynamic invariably leads to broader discussions about the state of the world, particularly the persistent funding crises plaguing Marie-Lou’s nursing home.
“I was very sensitive to how intellectual the film was because the way of looking at things through otherness and this philosophical lens can broaden our horizons,” remarked Virginie Efira, who portrays Marie-Lou. She elaborated on the film’s authentic portrayal of aging and societal value: “We shot in a working nursing home with real residents, and it was all about these bodies who are not functional anymore for capitalism. Then, Hamaguchi’s dialogue is extremely powerful to the point that it can combine the intimate and the political.”
A Deep Dive into Performance and Preparation
Both Okamoto and Efira approached All of a Sudden with an eagerness to fully immerse themselves in the material, a commitment evident in their nuanced and vulnerable performances. Hamaguchi, known for his meticulous casting, was drawn to their prior collaborations with acclaimed directors. He engaged Efira in conversations about her work with Paul Verhoeven on films like Elle and Benedetta, while expressing admiration for Okamoto’s role in James Mangold’s Wolverine. “I wouldn’t think he would be watching that type of movie,” Okamoto chuckled, recalling Hamaguchi’s recollection of her performance from thirteen years prior.
Okamoto’s journey into acting began after a successful modeling career that led her to New York. Her early filmography includes prominent Hollywood productions such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Man in the High Castle. In 2023, she strategically shifted her focus back to Japan, aiming to cultivate a career in auteur-driven cinema rather than blockbuster franchises, a path that serendipitously led her to Hamaguchi’s project. Initially, Okamoto feigned proficiency in French, a requirement for her role, before dedicating herself to acquiring genuine command of the language following her casting. Her preparation spanned twelve months, involving immersive experiences in facilities like a cancer research center and a deep engagement with the script’s layered complexities.
Efira, a recipient of the César Award, joined the project later. Her initial meeting with Hamaguchi at the Place de la Bastille in Paris left a lasting impression. “He has this attentiveness, this curiosity, and that puts you in sort of a trance,” she described. “After we met, I was left there almost like I was drunk.” Like Okamoto, Efira felt an immediate and profound connection to her character’s narrative, stating, “It had a spiritual power to it, and it felt like I couldn’t let this script get away from me.” Despite her initial lack of Japanese language skills, Efira embarked on intensive study, impressed by Hamaguchi’s comprehensive approach to actor preparation. “He wrote entire scenes that were not in the script, that we [acted out], just to inform the characters by creating memories for them. All this was in prep.”
Hamaguchi’s Distinctive Filmmaking Cadence
Both lead actors acknowledged a significant learning curve in adapting to Hamaguchi’s unique directorial methods. The meticulous nature of his process meant that capturing a single, extended conversation scene, which might last twenty minutes or more on screen, could consume two full days of shooting. Hamaguchi’s technique involved beginning with a single tracking shot, then dissecting it into smaller segments, before returning to a master shot. This was often followed by detailed rehearsals for the subsequent day’s work. “If something goes wrong or you misunderstand or misreact at the 12th minute, we just start all over,” Efira explained, emphasizing the rigorous adherence to the script’s dialogue while allowing for complete freedom in its interpretation.
Okamoto also navigated the challenges of adapting to a filmmaking style vastly different from her previous experiences. “I have been complimented before on how I can be aware of where the light is coming from, where the camera is without looking at it, how I’m being captured—I thought that was my strength,” she admitted. “But he told me the first week, ‘Can you just forget that you’re acting?’ It was quite a challenge for me to cancel all these systems within myself.”
The Transformative Power of Collaboration
The two-month production period fostered a genuine friendship between Okamoto and Efira, mirroring the evolving dynamic between their characters. “Even though Virginie seems very confident and experienced, she was very nervous—it was so cute, she made me touch her heart, and it was beating like crazy,” Okamoto recalled from one of their early days on set, highlighting Efira’s vulnerability and kindness. “She was also a real caretaker, on and off set.” Efira echoed this sentiment, reflecting on the unexpected depth of the experience: “It turns out the best summer of my life was in a nursing home, which I never expected. We all say that it changed our lives and I’ve never had this on any other set—and that’s not a promo line.”
Okamoto further elaborated on the profound personal impact of the film, particularly its confrontation with mortality. “It changed my life completely. I was scared of death as a child—it was one of my biggest fears, and something that I learned how to avoid thinking about growing up—and I had to face it again.”
A Testament to Human Connection and Uncompromising Vision
All of a Sudden, while maintaining its politically astute observations and sharp wit, emerges as a remarkably open-hearted cinematic work. It confronts seemingly insurmountable systemic challenges with an unwavering belief in the inherent value of human connection. This conviction permeates Hamaguchi’s direction from the outset to the film’s conclusion. “The result of the movie is just him being himself, as a human being,” Okamoto stated. “And that’s beautiful. If someone doesn’t know who Hamaguchi-san is, it’s all there. That’s him.”
Efira eloquently summarized the film’s essence: “It’s so difficult to make a movie about kindness.”
Regarding the film’s considerable runtime, Hamaguchi’s established audience is unlikely to be deterred. However, Efira suggests that, in keeping with the film’s spirit, viewers should approach it with open hearts and minds. “It’s always best to see a good film that’s three hours long, rather than a bad film that’s an hour and 20 minutes,” she remarked with a smile. “Hamaguchi has this sense of detail. He doesn’t take you by the hand and tell you what to think. He really takes his time, and I think our society needs that time—we don’t have it, but we need it.”
All of a Sudden is set to premiere on May 15 at the Cannes Film Festival. Further insights and exclusive coverage from Cannes 2026 will be forthcoming.
