All of a Sudden (2026 film)
| All of a Sudden | |
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| French | Soudain |
| Japanese | 急に具合が悪くなる |
| Directed by | Ryusuke Hamaguchi |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | You and I – The Illness Suddenly Get Worse by Makiko Miyano Maho Isono |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Alan Guichaoua |
| Music by | Samuel Andreyev |
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All of a Sudden (French: Soudain; Japanese: 急に具合が悪くなる) is an upcoming 2026 drama film directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, in his French language debut. Co-written by Hamaguchi and Léa Le Dimna, it is based on the non-fiction book You and I – The Illness Suddenly Get Worse by Makiko Miyano and Maho Isono.[1] It stars Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto.[2]
It will be theatrically released in Japan by Bitters End on 19 June 2026, and in France by Diaphana Distribution on 12 August.
Premise
The director of a nursing home in the Parisian suburbs attempts to introduce a humane care technique known as Humanitude, in spite of resistance. Her life is changed when she meets a terminally ill Japanese playwright named Mari Morisaki.[2]
Cast
- Virginie Efira as Marie-Lou Fontaine
- Tao Okamoto as Mari Morisaki
- Kyōzō Nagatsuka as Goro Kiyomiya
- Kodai Kurosaki as Tomoki Kubodera
Production
Development
In May 2025, it was announced that Ryusuke Hamaguchi would shoot his French language debut feature film, All of a Sudden, in Paris with Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto starring as its two female leads.[1]
The film was loosely inspired by a collection letters written between philosopher Makiko Miyano and medical anthropologist Maho Isono which were published in the book You and I – The Illness Suddenly Get Worse.[3] The letters cover Miyano and Isono's thoughts on life, illness and death as Miyano fought metastatic breast cancer; Miyano lost consciousness shortly after writing the preface to the book and died after 15 days.[3] Hamaguchi received several offers after the release of his film Drive My Car and only took notice of the project due to being "deeply moved" by the correspondence between the two women. He developed the project over two years, traveling to France in order to do so, including hosting a workshop with French actors to observe their work.[1] In preparation for her role, Efira learned Japanese.[2] As Hamaguchi had decided to transpose the setting to France, he contemplated how he could create a bridge between France and Japan, and settled on a treatment approach called Humanitude: "It's French method that was imported in Japan and is now practiced in several venues there, and puts the human dimension at the heart of the treatment care, for the integrity of each human being".[1]
Filming
Principal photography began on 30 June 2025, with filming taking place in Paris and Kyoto and wrapping on 6 September 2025.[4] Paris was the primary location of filming, with Hamaguchi wanting to show "a Paris that's a little different from the clichés we might have about the city", inspired by his time in "places that aren't touristy".[1] French cinematographer Alan Guichaoua served as director of photography.[5]
Post-production
A co-production between France, Japan, Germany and Belgium,[1] the film was produced by the Paris-based company Cinefrance Studios with the Japanese studios Office Shirous and Bitters End, Germany's Heimatfilm and Belgium's Tarantula.[2] Hamaguchi first met producer David Gauquié of Cinefrance when the two sat at a café in Shibuya in 2022 and discussed French cinema. Hamaguchi considers French cinema an inspiration for him and central to his "vision as a filmmaker"; he also said that he has been "trying desperately to learn French".[1]
Canadian-French composer Samuel Andreyev will compose the film's original score.[6]
Release
Cinefrance launched world sales at the European Film Market in Berlin alongside Bitters End, which handled sales in Asia.[2][7] In February 2026, Neon acquired North American distribution rights to the film at the European Film Market.[8]
It will be theatrically released in Japan by Bitters End on 19 June 2026,[9] and in France by Diaphana Distribution on 12 August.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Keslassy, Elsa (6 May 2025). "'Drive My Car' Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi to Make His Next Film 'All of a Sudden' in Paris With Virginie Efira, Tao Okamoto (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Keslassy, Elsa (3 February 2026). "Cinefrance Unveils First Still of 'Drive My Car' Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's French Movie 'All of a Sudden,' Scores Early Deals (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ a b "With just months left to live, a philosopher writes two books". The Dong-A Ilbo. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (30 June 2025). "Arte France Cinéma supports Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's All of the Sudden". Cineuropa. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
- ^ "Soudain de Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (2025) - Unifrance". www.unifrance.org. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "First Look at Ryusuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden Starring Virginie Efira". 3 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
- ^ "濱口竜介監督最新作『急に具合が悪くなる』公式サイト". 濱口竜介監督最新作『急に具合が悪くなる』公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 February 2026.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (17 February 2026). "Neon Takes North American Rights To Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 'All Of A Sudden' — EFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 February 2026.
- ^ "First Poster for Ryusuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden, Primed for Cannes Debut". 18 March 2026. Retrieved 20 March 2026.