ALL OF A SUDDEN (NYFF 2026) – Review by Margaret Barton-Fumo
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest, All of a Sudden is a compelling, thorough film bursting with ideas. Co-starring the French actress Virginie Efira alongside Tao Okamoto, the two women jointly accepted the Best Actress award at the most recent Cannes Film Festival. The film made its U.S. premiere at the 64th New York Film Festival, with Hamaguchi and Efira in attendance for the public screening. All of a Sudden was a real standout within the fest; an incredibly thoughtful film that is brought to life by its fantastic dual leads.
The film opens with Virginie Efira, who learned Japanese for her role as Marie-Lou Fontaine, director of the Garden of Freedom elder care facility in Paris. Her character is on the verge of burnout, and on a rare day off attends a Japanese play, where she reconnects with its director, the terminally ill Mari (Okamoto). The two are instantly swept into an intense friendship, and Mari eventually spends her final days at the Garden of Freedom, where the two “Marie”s engage in a series of conversations about the process of care, the inherent dehumanization of institutions, and the ability to achieve the impossible. And so the title of the film, All of a Sudden, refers not only to the rapid progression of Mari’s illness, but also the speedy onset of the duo’s very friendship. The film emphasizes how time is a precious commodity, while working with a relatively long runtime of 197 minutes.
Like Hamaguchi’s previous films, All of a Sudden is quite talkative, with characters precisely working through a variety of ideas. It also features a play within the film (as did Drive My Car)—in this case a mostly one man show starring Gorô Kiyomiya (Kyōzō Nagatsuka), who makes allowances for the spontaneous outbursts of his autistic grandson, Tomoki (Kodai Kurosaki). Tomoki is an important character, drawing the two “Marie”s together in a public park. He is also an inspiration not only for Mari’s art but also Marie-Lou’s evolving methodology at Garden of Freedom. She is an emphatic proponent of a technique of caregiving called “humanitude,” that proves divisive among the facility’s employees of caregivers and nurses. Marie-Lou has a “frenemy” in Sophie, a dyed-in-the-wool nurse who bristles at the methods of humanitude and considers herself more qualified than the dressed-down caregivers. The relationship between the two women is the focus of a rewarding subplot that operates quietly along the fringes of the central drama.
Throughout the film, Hamaguchi expresses a fascination with the distinction between the inside and outside, and it is central to the “Marie”s work to break down the boundary between the two areas. Through her play, Mari also introduces the concept of making the impossible possible, which deeply inspires Marie-Lou to reconsider her professional practice. In a memorable overnight scene, the two flesh out their ideas on a whiteboard, digging deep into the role of the institution within a human, yet capitalist society. Via their efforts to make the impossible possible, they initiate a more tactile approach to caregiving at the facility that involves the patients in upright, potentially dangerous walking stances. Taking into account some literal stumbles, their exercises prove ultimately fruitful, and Marie-Lou is able to quell her conflict with the nursing veteran Sophie.
It’s truly a delight to watch friendships develop and flourish in this film, with the two “Marie”s at the center of an impressive ensemble cast. Hamaguchi’s approach is sometimes dry and academic, but working in concert with the talented cinematographer Alan Guichaoua, the director is able to achieve an emotional, effective catharsis. The connection between Efira and Okamoto is pure kismet, transforming Hamaguchi (and co-writer Léa Le Dimna)’s heady dialogue into a moving experience. Viewers watching the film through an American perspective will ideally find the film freeing; at worst it will fall flat as an overlong, talkative enterprise. Those already familiar with Hamaguchi’s work will certainly adore this film, his French-language debut, which is also a good entry point for those who are new to his work. All of a Sudden is a complex, heartfelt film, sure to inspire thoughts and emotions that will continue to resonate after the end credits roll.
