Monster is the latest film from renowned Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, whose previous prolific work includes films such as Broker and Shoplifters, which had their world premieres at TIFF and Cannes respectively. Shoplifters even went on to win the Palme d’Or in 2018.
Kore-eda’s newest project though, uses a unique structure reminiscent of Kurosawa’s Rashomon, that follows a troubled young boy, his distraught mother and an outcast teacher. Tackling themes such as bullying, mental health and homophobia, Monster takes a journey of shifting perspectives bound to cause its audience to spread out the sympathy as it presents layered complexities of human nature.
Monster flaunts an impressively talented cast, including Sakura Ando of Shoplifters, who plays Saori, a struggling single mother, Eita Nagayama as Hori, a misunderstood teacher and the scene-stealing kids: Soyo Kurokawa (Minato) and Hinata Hiiragi (Eri). The performances of the entire cast throughout carry the intertwining story and timelines immaculately, And as more is revealed through the roundabout structure, their previously misunderstood motives and actions become a lot clearer. The children at the helm of the film though give it their all in stunning performances that are bound to bring audiences to tears in a punch-to-the-gut conclusion.
Through the film we follow multiple timelines that meld together to tell a tale of young Minato, whose strange behavior concerns his mother. It appears as though his teacher, Mr. Hori, is the source of his misery, so Minato’s mother Saori decides to go to the school to confront the staff head on. Things seem to be explained, to line up, and we are to be content with this explanation of the incidents.
That is until Kore-eda turns the clock back and begins to show you the perspective of another character, retelling the events and opening our eyes to the complicated power and beauty of perspective. We circle back multiple times to fill in the missing puzzle pieces, and soon the fog is lifted and our sympathies are spread throughout the multitude of struggling characters. Perhaps we, as an audience, are even meant to feel a pang of guilt for our previous snap judgements of them.
A humanity-driven film, the heavy themes are abound and handled with care, but not without raw portrayals. Characters struggle with domestic abuse, bullying, homophobia, suicidal thoughts as well as grief and loss. Kore-eda tenderly shows how on a surface level, these devastating things may not be outwardly apparent, but when we take a closer look and follow each individual and see their struggles first hand, it’s near impossible not to sympathize and relate to one another in some way.
The film is a marvel on a technical level as well, with Kore-eda teaming up with Ryoto Kondo once again as the cinematographer, who also worked on his Shoplifters years back. Monster is also the last film that renowned composer Ryuichi Sakamoto ever worked on as he sadly passed away in March of 2023. His moving, gorgeous score is an absolute highlight of the film, especially shining in the last act and going out with an emotional swell. Terrific performances combined with precise direction and near perfect technical aspects truly come together to create something of magic in this one.
With Monster, Kore-eda is perhaps urging his audience to give others the benefit of the doubt more often, forgive a bit easier, and to listen to and consider the motives of others before being too judgmental or harsh. Kindness is contagious, and hate is horrifically detrimental. We never truly know what one another may have experienced or are currently going through, and this film is a gentle reminder of that very idea. Monster is yet another poignant tale handled with care and delicacy by Kore-eda, that is not to be missed.
