Story perspectives

Cannes Opens Competition with Hamaguchi's 'All of a Sudden'

5/17/2026

Summary

Hamaguchi Opens Cannes

Cannes opened competition with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden.
All of a Sudden is a France-Japan-Germany-Belgium co-production starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto.
The plot follows a care-facility director who adopts Humanitude and meets a Japanese theatre director with cancer.
Screen Daily rated the film 3.1/4, ranking it second behind Fatherland.
The Cannes jury will announce the competition result in the early hours of May 24, 2026, Korea time.

Summary

Hamaguchi Explores Care

The film was shot inside an actual Paris nursing home, featuring real residents.
Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi showcases Humanitude’s three-knock, three-second entry ritual, though nurses deem it time-consuming.
Mari draws a whiteboard diagram that deconstructs capitalism’s self-destructive logic, framing empathy as political.
Critics say the second half turns the home into a hippie-commune, blurring care and community.

Summary

Hamaguchi Explores Mortality

The movie runs over three hours, mirroring Hamaguchi’s earlier feature Drive My Car.
Hamaguchi uses a slow pace and exacting dialogue to explore a life-versus-death philosophy.
A play within the plot mirrors the theatrical device from Drive My Car.
The tram scene introduces Tomoki, an autistic boy, whose rescue changes Mariu’s outlook.
A finger puppet appears as a symbolic element, prompting contemplation of mortality.

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Hamaguchi Opens Cannes

Cannes opened competition with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden.
All of a Sudden is a France-Japan-Germany-Belgium co-production starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto.
The plot follows a care-facility director who adopts Humanitude and meets a Japanese theatre director with cancer.
Screen Daily rated the film 3.1/4, ranking it second behind Fatherland.
The Cannes jury will announce the competition result in the early hours of May 24, 2026, Korea time.

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