Hamaguchi’s direction is patient and observant. The long shots of swaying larch trees and the rhythmic sound of an axe hitting wood create a hypnotic atmosphere. The score, composed by Eiko Ishibashi, is equally vital. It often cuts off abruptly, leaving the viewer in a jarring silence that mirrors the unpredictability of the natural world.
The truth, as Baumeister found, is that perpetrators almost never see themselves as evil. They see themselves as responding to a threat, avenging a slight, or obeying authority. The victim views the act as evil, gratuitous, and senseless. The perpetrator views the same act as justified, reciprocal, or necessary. Evil Does Not Exist
From a purely scientific standpoint, . What exists are actions, consequences, and biological drives. Hamaguchi’s direction is patient and observant
None of this excuses his behavior. He must be stopped. He must be held accountable. But it changes the question from "How do we destroy evil?" to "How do we intervene in a causal chain?" The latter is a solvable engineering problem. The former is a theological crusade. It often cuts off abruptly, leaving the viewer
Does this mean you cannot feel revulsion at atrocity? Of course not. Does it mean you cannot imprison a violent criminal? Absolutely not. It simply means you will do so without the comforting lie that you are fighting a demon. You are fighting a human problem. And human problems, unlike demons, have solutions.