All of a Sudden

‘Sitting still for 196 minutes sounds long, but think of All of a Sudden as one of those delightful mental health walks, right inside the cinema. Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car) takes his sweet time, and before you know it, so do you. In a world where everyone is running, rushing, and pushing on, his latest film is an (unbelievably) patient, welcome breath of fresh air. Hamaguchi loosely based the story on the correspondence between two academic pen pals who wrote to each other about philosophy, anthropology, capitalism, and approaching death. He cast Virginie Efira as Marie-Lou, a French care director trying to introduce the patience-based Humanitude method in her care home, and Tao Okamoto became Mari, a terminally ill theatre maker from Japan. Marie-Lou and Mari meet by chance in Paris and, though seemingly worlds apart, feel like kindred spirits from day one. And then off they walk. During their long strolls they talk about life – and how all of a sudden it can just be over. The richer their conversations, the grander the small things around them feel, slowing you down as a viewer too. All of a Sudden is the kind of film that quietly helps you catch your breath again. Every rushed, breathless gasp turns into a liberating deep sigh: Haaaaaaah… maguchi.’