Although he has made a few films, Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi really caught fire in 2001, first at Berlin with his Wheel Of Fortune & Fantasy and then big time at Cannes where he took three prizes for Drive My Car, a movie that would later make history with Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay in addition to a win for Best International Film. After following it up with 2023’s Evil Does Not Exist, Hamaguchi has now returned to Cannes for the premiere in competition of his first French-made film, All Of A Sudden (Soudain) which, clocking in at 3 hours and 16 minutes, is the longest film in the competition this year and, though admirable in its intentions, feels like it.

I was an early adopter and huge admirer of Drive My Car , which I saw and was wowed by even before I got to Cannes. That film came in at 2 hours and 59 minutes but felt seamless in every way, the long running time not a hindrance at all.…