Beautiful, intimate, life-affirming, though perhaps a little unwieldy and drawn out? Above all though, it's great to see Hamaguchi's understanding of the miraculous power of live theater and the connections it forms
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
急に具合が悪くなる
A critically acclaimed, moving drama.
Director of a care facility for the elderly, Marie-Lou strives to introduce an innovative care philosophy based on listening and respecting residents’ dignity, despite resistance from part of her staff. Her encounter with Mari, a Japanese theater director battling cancer, will profoundly reshape her path. By forming a deep, supportive friendship, the two women join forces in a shared struggle to make the impossible possible.
All of a Sudden is showing in 5 cinemas in Athens - next screening Friday 23 October at 16:00 at Movie theatre Diana.
Next screenings: Friday 23 October.
All 6 days & timesNot this day?
All 6 days & timesShowing Athens. Switch city above to see screenings elsewhere.
All of a Sudden showtimes, refreshed every morning
Pick your cinema, get a nudge before it leaves screens.
Beautiful, intimate, life-affirming, though perhaps a little unwieldy and drawn out? Above all though, it's great to see Hamaguchi's understanding of the miraculous power of live theater and the connections it forms
100Chicago International Film Festival #2Had to practically sprint out of the screening at the end because my face was soaked with tears, but I honestly don't even know if my feet were touching the ground. Catch me floating across the AMC Newcity lobby - I had a rapturous emotional response to the latest film from Hamaguchi. Can't think of the last time a movie so thoroughly devastated me on a molecular level. I felt this shit in my bones. A work of great empathy and compassion that utilizes its expansive tangents to enrich the intimacy of its central relationship dynamic. The performances from Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto...gosh where to even start? Understated, delicate, so nuanced and complex that it'll make your head spin. Their on-screen chemistry is the most evocative collaboration between two actors that I've seen in who knows how long. The manner in which they share space and contribute to the film's endless mysteries and didactic detours is just..beyond words. Basically every other scene in this movie shattered my soul, which allows for the slivers of levity to hit like a ray of sunshine on a perfect morning. This is a 197 minute epic that involves elder-care, Alzheimer's, cancer, work-place burnout, avant-garde theater, labor tensions etc. But what it's about is more graceful, even elemental - taking the time and space to be present with everyone around you, to consider and prioritize their humanity, all while reckoning with the limitations of the world which so frequently denies us of this approach. There are plenty of sequences here that manage a productive tension between capital's process and the spiritual urge to dismantle the way things function. Its scattered moments that rise to a level of nothing less than pure ecstasy split the difference between our anguish of a life fundamentally unlived due to society's constraints and the comfort that arrives with embracing that pain. A masterwork that I'm already cherishing and keeping close to my heart.
A lot more foot than I was expecting but unsurprisingly found a way to my heart. Nonstop bars and a really stunning use of sunrises and sunsets in here. Am fairly certain it’ll be one that I come to love more with time
The film follows the director of an elder care facility who forms a transformative friendship with a Japanese theater director facing a terminal illness as they grapple with mortality and systemic care.
It was directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi in 2026, known for his deliberate pacing and deeply humanistic storytelling.
Full screening schedules and tickets are available on Mood.
