Film Review #83: MONSTER

Film still from Monster

Koreeda's films will always be anticipated because of his delicate and sensitive portrayal of individuals and their subconscious tendencies. His 2018 feature Shoplifters, a gut-wrenching depiction of a group of chosen family members, earned him the renowned Palme d'Or. Monster is his first Japanese feature since Shoplifters, after dabbling with directing overseas in Korea and France.

Monster is Koreeda's first film for which he did not write the script, but his collaborator Yuji Sakamoto won the award for best screenplay at Cannes. It is also  a tribute to the late Maestro Ryuichi Sakamoto, with some of his famed pieces used to emphasise bittersweet emotions.



Film still from Monster

The movie introduces itself with a mother, played by Sakura Ando, seeking to understand her son's erratic behaviour. This is further aggravated when her son, Minato, is accused of something unbelievable by the school, leaving audiences baffled and this constant need to comprehend the current situation acts as an impetus to drive the narrative.

While the word "monster" conjures up a grotesque image, the investigation of the monster in this film takes on a non-physical shape as we comprehend the concept of how the child protagonist copes with being estranged from his environment. Despite being an allegorical interpretation, Koreeda is more concerned with studying the concept of truth and whether or not an interpretation told from a single point of view is able to hold up to its legitimacy.



Film still from Monster

The film follows a triptych structure, supported by an exceptional editing technique and sound direction. You can visually appreciate the amount of thought that went into getting each episode to fit the entire premise. Initially, the first and second acts seem desultory at the expense of providing perspectives of different characters who are intertwined in the lives of the two child protagonists, Minato and Yori. But as the story progresses, more layers are added, giving incredible depth to each and every character.

Koreeda is a master in directing children — his films I Wish, Nobody Knows, Like Father, Like Son are testament —  and Monster is no exception. It has left a deep impression through the performance that he has managed to extract out of the two main protagonists; it is so nuanced and complex, highlighting the unique and often under-appreciated ways in which adolescents perceive the world around them.



Another similarly themed film that comes to mind instantly is Lukas Dhont’s Oscar-nominated feature, Close. Both films are spiritually related and would be an interesting double-bill experience. Audiences are definitely bound to walk out trying to process the ending sequence of Monster alongside the deeply moving score of the film. Monster is undeniably a remarkable addition to Koreeda’s filmography.

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About the Author: Deepag is highly interested in adding films with innovative voices and historical significance to his Letterboxd watchlist.

About the Movie:

Directed by: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Cast: Sakura Andō, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi, Yūko Tanaka

Year: 2023

Duration: 2h 5min

Language: Japanese

Synopsis: When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what's going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually emerges.