Janus Films’ EVIL DOES NOT EXIST is set to make its SVOD debut later this month, streaming live on the Criterion Channel on Sunday, September 22nd, 2024, at 8p ET. The film is Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s follow-up to his Oscar-winning Drive My Car, and world-premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. It launched in US theaters on May 3rd, 2024 before arriving on VOD and digital platforms on August 20th.

UPDATE: Evil Does Not Exist will begin streaming on-demand on the Criterion Channel starting October 1st, 2024.

Janus Films and the Criterion Channel had a similar live streaming premiere for their previous release, Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast.

The film’s story is as follows: Deep in the forest of the small rural village Harasawa, single parent Takumi lives with his young daughter, Hana, and takes care of odd jobs for locals, chopping wood and hauling pristine well water. The overpowering serenity of this untouched land of mountains and lakes, where deer peacefully roam free, is about to be disrupted by the imminent arrival of the Tokyo company Playmode, which is ready to start construction on a glamping site for city tourists—a plan, which Takumi and his neighbors discover, that will have dire consequences for the ecological health and cleanliness of their community.

We’ve added both release dates to our streaming calendars. Check out the US trailer for the film below.

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