Monster, 2023.
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Starring Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi, Yuko Tanaka, Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Kakuta, and Shido Nakamura.
SYNOPSIS:
A mother demands answers from teacher when her son begins acting strangely.
Sure to leave one questioning what they are getting themselves into in the best possible way, Soya Kurokawa’s Minato Mugino asks his mom Saori (Sakura Ando) if a human with his brain replaced with a pig’s is still human. It’s an odd question to ask, disorienting viewers into where this thought is coming from and if consistently outstanding Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda (alongside screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto) has whipped up a Frankenstein feature with Monster. He hasn’t, but his ability to explore characters that feel othered by society remains impeccably sincere.
This film is an emotionally powerful triumph, and that’s just a statement that has to be trusted. It would be a disservice to explain the plot, partially because its Rashomon-like retellings of the story from different perspectives that open up new details while explaining the truth behind misconceptions also evolves certain character dynamics. There is a point where the story transitions into something that almost feels like we should have expected but don’t since Hirokazu Kore-eda is so precise at guiding the viewer’s thoughts from one perception to the next without spilling the beans.
The inciting incident that will be analyzed repeatedly from alternative angles is an instance of bullying that sees Minato causing a scene inside a classroom near the strange child Yori (Hinata Hiiragi), who is relentlessly picked on and under the impression by his convincingly cruel father that he is a monster with a pig’s brain. At this moment, elementary school teacher Michitoshi Hori (Eita Nagayama) enters the classroom to break up the commotion, leaving Minato with a bloody nose. Whether or not this is accidental or intentional and what kind of teacher he is will be revealed over time.
There is also the element that some characters tell lies, and as the perspectives shift (a mother unreasonably certain that her child could do no wrong, a boy accused of repeated and targeted bullying, a problematic teacher, and another boy with a nasty father), the reality not only becomes clear, but the reasoning behind those lies becomes apparent in empathetic ways. It is not lost on Hirokazu Kore-eda that both of these children have lost a parent and are struggling to fit into their home lives, a uniting commonality. There are also glimpses inside the personal lives of the adults adding layers to them as well.
With a gentle, tearjerking score from the recently deceased regular collaborator of Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Monster is a poetic and nuanced work depicting how society pressures people into thinking the worst about themselves for being different in one way or another. It increasingly becomes more emotionally rich as the layers are peeled back, building and crescendoing into a fittingly bittersweet ending. Hirokazu Kore-eda has worked with actors such as Sakura Ando before, so it’s no surprise he directs her to a moving performance, but the children really give Monster its heart and emotional weight. It’s a film that is nearly impossible to stop thinking about once it concludes.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
