All of a Sudden(Soudain) is Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s third film in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, following Asako I & II(2018) and the Oscar and Cannes-winning film, Drive My Car (2022).
Led by César winner Virginie Efira with Tao Okamoto, the ensemble also features Kyozo Nagatsuka, Kodai Kurosaki, Jean‑Charles Clichet, and Marie Bunel.
This French drama centers on the intertwined stories of two women. Marie-Lou, a French woman, runs a care facility for the elderly, while the other is Mari, a Japanese theatre director battling cancer. Their encounter sparks a profound alliance, lifting them side by side to confront challenges and discover the extraordinary in the everyday.
Belgian-French actress Virginie Efira earned her first leading cinematic role in the romantic comedy It Boy (2013). She received her first César Award nomination for In Bed with Victoria (2016) and later won the César Award for Best Actress for Paris Memories (2022). Her other prominent films include An Impossible Love (2018), Sibyl (2019), and Benedetta (2021). Most recently, she appeared in Parallel Tales (2026), a drama thriller directed by Asghar Farhadi.
BAFTA-winning Ryusuke Hamaguchi Directed and co‑written by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, with Léa Le Dimna joining on screenplay. The creative team features Alan Guichoua (cinematography), Mila Preli (production design), Samuel Andreyev (music), and Azuza Yamakazi (editing).
