Monster, 2023.
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi, Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Kakuta, Shidô Nakamura, and Yûko Tanaka
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.
Opening in darkness, with an unidentified swooshing sound punctuating the night air, you’re immediately unsettled. It’s a feeling half-earned by a loaded titled such as Monster, one that leaves you expecting a dark morality tale akin to We Need to Talk About Kevin. And although it’s worth going into Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest knowing as little-as-possible, such preconceptions couldn’t be further from the truth in this complex and life-affirming triumph.
Everything about this constantly evolving tapestry of a film is layered; Yûji Sakamoto’s script tackles the social morality of large scale issues, such as authority, fake news, the education system, while simultaneously challenging the intimate preconceptions and judgements of the viewer. On multiple occasions the Rashomon effect is subtly employed to pull the rug from under the viewer. It never feels like a gimmick, and it builds to a remarkable and wholly unexpected crescendo.
Equally important to stitching together the narrative is the late Ryuchi Sakamoto’s score. Full of menace during the opening movements, it’s the melancholy sadness of the themes which accompany the slow realisation of what kind of film you’re actually watching that leave the most indelible mark.
The cast are excellent, especially the two young boys and the way in which their relationship becomes becomes the emotional core of the film as the multiple veils fall in front of our eyes. Until that point it has been up to the wonderful Sakura Ando to hold the moral compass of the movie. As mother to Minato (Soya Kurokawa), who you assume to be the titular monster, she shares a loving and reciprocated bond, willing to fight his corner when things get difficult at school. She’s our way into the movie, our projection. That is until the viewfinder switches to Eita Nagayama’s controversial teacher, and similarly his nuanced performance makes you re-evaluate everything you’ve been watching.
When it does become clear what kind of story Kore-eda is telling, emotions shift on-and-off screen, with events of the final reel as difficult to watch as the horror-tinged ones at the start of this sublime tale. In fact, the ambiguous ending, which is as profoundly sad as it is beautiful, is arguably full of hope and optimism which ever way you read it.
One of the most real and affecting portrayals of friendship on film, Kore-eda’s Monster is a devastating secrets and lies parable, crafted by a master at the very top of his game.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film ★ ★ ★ ★ ★/ Movie ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
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