“I have watched Evil Does Not Exist twice,” writes the New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis. “And each time the stealthy power of Hamaguchi’s filmmaking has startled me anew.” Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest movie, recently released in the U.S., is a sort of problem play, Ibsen set in a Japanese village. The widowed Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) and his daughter, Hana (Ryo Nishikawa), are residents of Mizubiki, a secluded place where the ecosystem is in balance and the spring water is pure enough to drink. A company called Playmode sees a business opportunity in the pristine area, and sends two representatives to Mizubiki to lay plans for a future resort. Takumi and the villagers oppose them, knowing that increased tourism will pollute the environment. Further drama erupts when Hana goes missing in the nearby forest. Man battles nature, and Hamaguchi builds the film to an emotional, stirring end. —Jack Sullivan