The Japanese Film 'Monster' Is A Bittersweet Plea For Acceptance

Who is the Monster? Is it someone lurking outside us or is it just an extension of us? Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda gives us a poignant yet tender portrayal of the many states of mind of a child in his latest “Monster”.

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda gives us a poignant yet tender portrayal of the many states of mind of a child in his latest “Monster”

A mother Saori (Sakura Ando) and her son Minato (Soya Kurokawa). witness a raging fire in the neighbourhood, from their balcony. Minato turns around and distractedly tells her how a pig’s brain can be transplanted into a human head.

Though she laughs it off, after all, kids say the darnest things, but this one off-the-cuff remark weighs on her. But, who put this idea in his head?
Alarmed by the change in behaviour from being withdrawn, to sullen, which is typical of adolescence and the onset of puberty. However, Minato’s obsession with shearing his locks, and then a night when she finds him in the woods, alone in a dark tunnel, screaming, “Who is the monster?” leads her to investigate the matter, and meet his homeroom teacher Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama), an eccentric man. After Minato claims that he was hit in class by his instructor, and then she sees his behaviour even getting weirder, she is convinced he is the victim of bullying.

Also, she gets an insincere and polite apology from the school.
Or is the other way round, is Minato the one who is the perpetrator of the act? It's been said he has bullied a sensitive student Yuri. The claim is substantiated as well as not with several flashbacks, which bring to the fore a montage of varied points of view, as well as school events and relationships between the boys, as it touches upon the queer aspect in a homophobic society .

What comes to the surface is a complicated relationship between children, the school and the parents.

Kore-eda gives us an intricate narrative of hope as it examines socio-cultural issues and complexities. Family dysfunction, bullying, homophobia, social media cancel culture and rumour-mongering; along with unwavering devotion to flawed authority, all come together to create a monster of impropriety.

As it nudges one to speak your truth and embrace all aspects of oneself, Monster is a heart-rending narrative of perspectives.

Where no one is at fault, since every human comes from a place they know best.

Monster is Kore-era's best work, and the screenplay and writing of Yûji Sakamot, make this one a cinematic masterpiece.

3:5/5