Rather easily taking first place on our list of most-anticipated 2026 films is Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden, which finds the Japanese director drawing inspiration from real-life letters in Makiko Miyano and Maho Isono’s book You and I – The Illness Suddenly Get Worse. His migration to France reportedly comes in around three hours, features a score by Canadian-French composer Samuel Andreyev, and—with a June 19 release set for Japan—is all but guaranteed to debut at Cannes. While Neon will release the film stateside, sales agent Bitters End have given us our first real look with a subtitle-free teaser.
Here’s a Google-translated synopsis: “‘The Garden of Freedom’ is a care facility located in the suburbs of Paris, France. Its director, Marie-Lou Fontaine, strives to provide care that upholds the dignity of every resident; yet, she constantly grapples with the realities of staff shortages and a lack of understanding among her team. Amidst these struggles, Marie-Lou encounters a Japanese theater director named Mari Morisaki. Marie-Lou finds renewed courage in the play Mari—who is currently battling cancer—is creating. Guided by the serendipity of their shared name, the two women begin to forge a bond. However, one day, Mari suddenly takes a turn for the worse. As Mari’s illness progresses, their relationship deepens dramatically, evolving into a profound spiritual connection where their very souls commune with one another…”
Watch it below:
