Full Breakdown
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden” Opens Cannes Competition
5/17/2026, 4:42:19 AM
Competition Premiere and Plot
“All of a Sudden” follows Marie-Lou (Virginie Efira), director of a Parisian nursing home, as she implements Humanitude—eye contact, respectful speech, and dignity for residents. Staff resist the slower, person-centered routine. A chance meeting with Mari (Tao Okamoto), a Japanese theatre director facing terminal cancer, sparks a night-long dialogue that reshapes both women’s view of aging and mortality. The narrative unfolds almost entirely within the care facility, emphasizing subtle gestures and silences.
Background & Cannes Track
Ryosuke Hamaguchi returns for his third competition slot. He previously presented “Asako I & II” (2018) and won Best Screenplay for “Drive My Car” (2021); in 2023 he earned the Grand Jury Prize for “Evil Does Not Exist.” His work habitually explores communication, chance encounters, and loss.
Key Figures & Production
The 200-minute co-production (France, Japan, Germany, Belgium) is co-written with Léa Le Dimna, shot by Alan Guichaoua, and stars Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto. It adapts the non-fiction work “Kyu ni guai ga waruku naru.”
Data & Reception
The film is competition entry #5 of 22. Jury grades average 3.3; Screen Daily rates it 3.1/4, placing it second behind “Fatherland.” Its runtime exceeds three hours, making it one of Cannes’ longest entries.
Critical Reception: Praise & Reservations
Reviewers commend the documentary texture from filming in a real care home and Guichaoua’s “luminous and organic” cinematography, framing Humanitude as a political act of gentleness. Critics note the second half drifts toward self-help rhetoric, calling parts “sentimental and occasionally banal.” The whiteboard set-piece dissecting capitalism has been highlighted for intellectual boldness.
Official Statements & Festival Position
Cannes officials confirmed the film’s In Competition selection and world premiere at the Lumière Theatre, Palais des Festivals. The official grid lists it as a Palme d’Or contender. Results are slated for early hours of May 24 (Korea time).
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Cannes jury cites an average 3.3, while Screen Daily reports 3.1; audience data remain unavailable.
What’s Next: Awards Outlook
Palme d’Or deliberations are pending; observers view the film as a strong contender.
Verbatim Quotes
- “All of a Sudden is about the director of a care facility in the Parisian suburbs who adopts the “Humanitude” method of care despite resistance from part of her staff.” — Cannes program
- “Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden With All of a Sudden, Ryusuke Hamaguchi continues his exploration of the invisible bonds that unite human beings, but this time shifts his gaze toward a territory rarely filmed with such delicacy: old age, care, and end-of-life support.” — Festival preview
- “A Humanist Work Between Fiction and Reality Perhaps the greatest uniqueness of All of a Sudden lies in its almost documentary dimension.” — Review analysis
- “Sometimes, surrendering to pure contemplation may be the most honest and direct way to tell the rawest strain of capitalism — the one that has perfected the art of monetizing every hour of your existence — exactly where to go.” — Reviewer
