Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest film, All of a Sudden, tackles themes of life, death, and the failures of capitalism, profoundly impacting its stars, Tao Okamoto and Virginie Efira.
Okamoto's Captivating Role
Tao Okamoto was drawn to All of a Sudden due to a pivotal scene where her character, Mari, a playwright, discusses the systemic failures of capitalism using whiteboard graphics. “This is something that I’d been thinking about over the years,” Okamoto said. “I think it will help a lot of people to connect the dots.”
The film, which is not an academic paper, is rich with human connection and big ideas, a hallmark of Hamaguchi’s style seen in his previous work, Drive My Car. All of a Sudden, running over three hours, premieres at the Cannes Film Festival and explores the bond between Mari and Marie-Lou, played by Virginie Efira.
A Meeting of Minds
The film follows Mari, who is dying of cancer while producing a new play, and Marie-Lou, a nursing home director in Paris. Their relationship begins in a park and deepens through conversations, highlighting Marie-Lou’s nursing home’s funding crisis. Efira described the film’s intellectual nature, saying, “We shot in a working nursing home with real residents, and it was all about these bodies who are not functional anymore for capitalism.”
Efira, known for her work with Paul Verhoeven, was intrigued by Hamaguchi’s attention to detail. Okamoto, who returned to Japan in 2023 to focus on auteur-driven cinema, prepared extensively for her role, even learning French.
A Transformative Process
Both actors adapted to Hamaguchi’s unique filmmaking methods, involving long conversation scenes and detailed rehearsals. Efira noted, “If something goes wrong... we just start all over.” Okamoto found the process challenging but rewarding, learning to forget she was acting.
The friendship between Okamoto and Efira mirrored their characters, with Okamoto recalling Efira’s nervousness and caretaking nature. “It turns out the best summer of my life was in a nursing home,” Efira remarked.
Impact and Reception
Okamoto shared how the film changed her perspective on death, a childhood fear. The movie, while politically charged, ultimately believes in human kindness, with Okamoto stating, “The result of the movie is just him being himself, as a human being.” Efira added, “It’s so difficult to make a movie about kindness.”
Despite its length, Efira encourages audiences to embrace the film’s spirit, emphasizing the importance of patience in understanding its depth. All of a Sudden premieres at Cannes on May 15.
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/all-of-a-sudden-cannes-exclusive-tao-okamoto-virginie-efira-1236595032/
