All of a Sudden (bc30) (2026) review, cast and showtimes

Name: All of a Sudden (bc30)
Released: 2026-09-17
Duration: 196 min
Cast: Virginie Efira, Tao Okamoto, Kyōzō Nagatsuka, Kodai Kurosaki, Jean-Charles Clichet

What it is about

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.

Cannes Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival

What to expect

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest runs 196 minutes, so know what you are signing up for: a drama built on stillness, not momentum. Marie-Lou runs a care home and is trying to shift its culture toward listening and dignity, against staff resistance. When she meets Mari, a Japanese theatre director with cancer, the two women form a friendship that turns into a joint refusal to accept limits. The movie played Cannes and Toronto, and early audiences have given it a 7.9 from 50 votes. Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto lead a cast that also includes Kyōzō Nagatsuka and Kodai Kurosaki. The movie is in Japanese with English and Chinese subtitles. It opens in Hong Kong on 17 September 2026. At over three hours, it will likely play a limited art-house run rather than wide multiplexes, so check listings carefully. If you have the patience for a slow, character-focused piece about care, mortality and an unlikely alliance, it delivers what Hamaguchi does best: quiet scenes that accumulate weight.

Cast