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<\/a><\/div>\nMonster<\/i> is an angry, devastating film from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, one of the most humanist directors working in the business at the moment. Here; he takes charge of a multifaceted story that propels its way forward with the agency of a split narrative: we open with a building burning, a mother and a son watching from their apartment. The mother, Saori \u2013 sends her son, Minato, off to school \u2013 but it quickly becomes apparent that something is not right. He comes home shy, abrasive, and throws himself out of the car on a journey home from being found in the middle of a tunnel at night. Saori\u2019s instinct is to blame Mr. Hori; his teacher \u2013 played by the calm but quick to anger Eita Nagayama \u2013 so rushes to school \u2013 only to be met with the stranglehold of bureaucracy. But it quickly becomes apparent that there is more than meets the eye to both Saori and Mr. Hori \u2013 and Minato is coming into his own, discovering his sense of self \u2013 we learn through all three chapters, each told from the perspective of these three characters \u2013 how perception and anger can unfold differently, and how these characters can react to the world that shaped them.\n<\/p>\n
At its core the film shares a dynamic between two boys \u2013 Soya Kurokawa\u2019s Minato and Hinata Hiiragi\u2019s Yori. It\u2019s skilfully acted by both involved as we\u2019re forced to witness the horror that Yori must experience on a day-to-day life as a victim of bullying, unable to do anything about it \u2013 with Minato facing the choice between his friendship with Yori and the peer pressure of his classmates, who are ruthless to the both of them. The abject horror of what we cannot tear our eyes away from makes Monster<\/i> a stark departure from even Shoplifters<\/i> as Kore-eda lets his emotions get the better of him with a plea for acceptance and tolerance from all, no matter their age. Kids can be cruel \u2013 think Lukas Dhont\u2019s emotionally charged Close<\/i>, one of the best films of 2023 \u2013 for a similar comparison, and this film is just as devastating if not more so \u2013 a quiet bid for freedom symbolised by their escape in a train carriage that\u2019s off its hinges. Themes of death, rebirth and reincarnation punctuate Monster<\/i> \u2013 which has a quiet way of creeping up on you and making you cry when you least expect it. The film bluntly has its characters ask \u201cWho\u2019s the Monster?\u201d \u2013 is it them, fighting for love in a world that doesn\u2019t accept who they are? Is it a teacher? Is it the rest of society? There\u2019s a lot of grand themes at play in Monster<\/i> that are highlighted with understated nuance.\n<\/p>\n
What a way to unfold the narrative \u2013 Monster<\/i> at first sends you on a murder mystery, but quickly promises to be so much more. It\u2019s a game of lies and misheard truths that aims for a Rashomon<\/i>-style narrative \u2013 and succeeds so much because of this. Film of the year. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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