--- title: "All of a Sudden: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/all-of-a-sudden/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/all-of-a-sudden" critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 15 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # All of a Sudden (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 78 from 15 reviews: 12 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to All of a Sudden, praising its hopeful treatment of care, friendship and human connection. Praise centres on Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, whose rapport gives the long conversations emotional weight. The reviews also credit Hamaguchi’s patient direction and attentive dialogue with making caregiving compelling drama. For its strongest supporters, the optimism feels earned through the tenderness of the performances. The spread is wide, however, with the leisurely pace and three-hour runtime dividing opinion. The AV Club finds the length justified, while Deadline argues that excessive length and lecture-like passages weaken the emotional impact. The Guardian admires the quieter exchanges between caregivers and patients but finds the film overly precious and self-conscious. Even favourable reviews acknowledge moments of sentimentality or overly prescriptive thinking; the main disagreement is over how much these intrude on the relationships. ## The AV Club — Luke Hicks Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2026. Festival review. The critic calls the film transcendent and says it earns its three-hour runtime. They single out Hamaguchi’s insightful screenplay and delicate direction, especially the film’s careful visual and sound design. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/all-of-a-sudden-review) ## Variety — Jessica Kiang Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2026. Festival review. Kiang gives the film an ecstatic review, praising its generous, life-affirming story about care and connection. She singles out the long conversations and the leads’ performances for creating an unusually intimate, transformative experience. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/all-of-a-sudden-review-ryusuke-hamaguchi-1236748900/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. Jenkins finds the film overwhelmingly affirmative and philosophically rich. He especially praises its performances and the way its careful dialogue makes caregiving a means of human connection. [Read the review](https://www.lwlies.com/cannes-film-festival/all-of-a-sudden-first-look-review) ## Sight and Sound — BFI Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 26 May 2026. Festival review. The critic is strongly positive, finding the film’s patient portrait of friendship quietly transformative. They single out Hamaguchi’s attentive direction and the way dialogue and care foster connection. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/all-sudden-hamaguchi-questions-philosophies-care-radically-tender-enriching-drama) ## Slant Magazine — Keith Uhlich Rating 3.5/4. 24 September 2026. Festival review. Uhlich finds the film scattershot and occasionally treacly, but says its earned optimism feels like a balm. He especially praises the natural emotional and physical kinship between Virginie Efira and Okamoto Tao. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/all-of-a-sudden-review-hamaguchi-ryusuke/) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B+. 15 May 2026. Festival review. Ehrlich finds the film a light, lovely, and increasingly hopeful argument for a more humane future, despite its overly prescriptive ideas. He praises its care-centered perspective and Tao Okamoto’s delicate, ethereal performance. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/all-of-a-sudden-movie-review-ryusuke-hamaguchi-1235193798/) ## Time Out — Jo-Ann Titmarsh Rating 4/5. 15 May 2026. The review presents the film as philosophical yet joyous, and says it restores faith in humanity. The headline singles out its humanistic optimism for praise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/all-of-a-sudden-review-2026) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2026. Festival review. Rooney finds the film a deeply affecting work of humanism, though its leisurely pace and long runtime may test viewers. He praises its luminous moments of human connection and its compassionate attention to dignity and care. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/all-of-a-sudden-review-ryusuke-hamaguchi-virginie-efira-1236593171/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2026. Festival review. The headline presents the film as a rich, engaging drama. It singles out the magnetic connection between Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/all-of-a-sudden-review-virginie-efira-and-tao-okamoto-form-a-magnetic-connection-in-ryusuke-hamaguchis-rich-paris-drama/5216769.article) ## Film Comment — Dennis Lim Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The Cannes dispatch appears to review Hamaguchi’s *All of a Sudden*, but the available text does not reveal the critic’s verdict. It also does not show what the critic singles out for praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/cannes-2026-from-time-to-time-all-of-a-sudden-la-libertad-doble-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2026. Festival review. Bradshaw finds the film tender and beautiful but overly precious and self-conscious, with its quieter scenes of care working best. He singles out the observant, compassionate moments between caregivers and patients as its strongest passages. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/may/15/all-of-a-sudden-review-care-home-ryusuke-hamaguchi-cannes) ## The Playlist — Carlos Aguilar Rating A. 15 May 2026. Festival review. The critic calls the film a transcendent, life-affirming achievement whose emotional impact feels earned. They single out Tao Okamoto and Virginie Efira’s sublime performances and the tenderness of their characters’ evolving friendship. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/all-of-a-sudden-review-ryusuke-hamaguchi-cannes-20260515/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2026. Festival review. The critic finds the film a rich, humane experience for viewers willing to settle into its leisurely pace. They single out its wandering conversations and Hamaguchi’s quietly resonant treatment of hope and difference. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/all-of-a-sudden-review-ryusuke-hamaguchi-cannes/) ## Eye for Film — Edin Custo Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 May 2026. Festival review. Custo finds the film an affecting, thoughtful argument for treating care and tenderness as ordinary necessities. They praise its intimate conversations while noting that its rituals can edge toward the absurd or cultish. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/all-of-a-sudden-2026-film-review-by-edin-custo) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 15 May 2026. Festival review. Hammond finds the film humane and worthwhile in its aims, but says its excessive length and lecture-like stretches dilute its impact. He praises the compassionate relationship between the two leads and the film’s attention to failing health care. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/05/all-of-a-sudden-review-oscar-ryusuke-hamaguchi-cannes-fest-1236905688/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/all-of-a-sudden.md