Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda and written by Yûji Sakamoto, 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. Starring: Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi, Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Kakuta, Shidô Nakamura and Yûko Tanaka.
It would be madness to expect anything other than excellence from Hirokazu Kore-eda after nearly thirty-five years of producing powerful, moving and charming films. It sets the bar exceptionally high for every new project that he releases, yet he never disappoints, and Monster keeps that streak of brilliance going. Telling a story in three acts, holding back that bigger picture until each perspective has been explored, relying on patience and sympathy from the audience, can be a risky choice today but it pays off handsomely here.
The way that this story unravels and explores how knowing only one side of a story can intensely warp the truth is beautifully thoughtful and poignant. How Yûji Sakamoto’s writing weaves together each thread of the story and brings everything together for a compelling final act is remarkable. It’s filled with this intimacy and vulnerability, tapping into how fragile a child’s mind is. The progression is utterly natural, there’s no rocky edge to the back-and-forth nature of its perspectives. Every moment has something to add, each scene deepens the emotion and digs under your skin.
Having that striking foundation and then pairing it with Kore-eda’s direction just makes things even more affecting and engaging. The style fluidly reflects the changing view, adapting to the stress and frustration of Sakura Ando’s Saori, the naivety and fading hope of Eita Nagayama’s Hori, and the youth and kindness of Soya Kurokawa’s Minato. All of which is then topped off by the cheerful yet complicated energy of Hinata Hiiragi’s Eri. Kore-eda excels in particular at creating a visual world which has a classic, elegant simplicity but is also hugely complex. He expertly balances the sweet nature of these different relationships with a deep sadness which grows throughout.
That sadness is enhanced stunningly by the score from the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, only making it more sombre in being a reminder of what a unique, great talent the world lost. Each and every emotion this story has to offer are brought to life to perfection from this stellar cast. Sakura Ando leads viewers into this story with such a loving, generous and committed presence, she’s an absolute pleasure to watch. Soya Kurokawa then takes a lot of this story on his shoulders for such a young actor, and he does a superb job, especially when he’s paired with Hinata Hiiragi. The two of them are such a charming pair, their connection is genuinely wonderful.
Perhaps one of the most surprising performances comes in the form of Yûko Tanaka’s Principal Fushimi. It takes quite a while for the story to unravel her character and when it finally does, it’s such a satisfying, full-circle moment. There’s one scene in particular which she shares with Kurokawa that is so open and compassionate, it strikes right to the heart. Eita Nagayama’s Hori is another where the story takes quite a while to truly explore his full character and he impressively portrays so many different sides up until that point. Every perspective of the story almost entirely changes the view of Hori and it’s fascinating to watch.
Monster once again proves the mastery of Hirokazu Kore-eda, its exploration of perception is truly incredible. The cast is brilliant, they all give such absorbing and compelling performances that they do the ultimate justice to the phenomenal writing of Yûji Sakamoto. It’s hard to accurately describe the feeling that this film leaves you with, it is powerfully heart-breaking and magnificently executed.
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