On the surface, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster seems to merely be about a boy struggling at school with his single mother doing her best to keep their life together. When an incident leaves her son injured, she storms into said school to demand consequences for the teacher she believes caused the injury. Kore-eda crafts a careful story, full of hidden twists and turns that reveal themselves with time and patience. Based on a screenplay by Yuji Sakamoto, Monster is the first film since 1995 that Kore-eda has directed without writing himself.

The story starts from Saori’s (Sakura Andō) perspective. She’s the single mother of Minato (Soya Kurokawa). Hard-working, loving, and a dedicated mother, Saori is rightfully concerned when her son comes home from school with all the telltale signs of being bullied. But the truth is more complicated than she thinks. When Saori demands answers from Minato’s teacher Hori (Eita Nagayama) the story quickly spirals out from there.
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Hirokazu Kore-eda Weaves a Narrative With Multiple Protagonists

Image via Toho

The success of Monster lies in the fact that as the film progresses and as we see this story through Saori’s eyes, then Hori’s eyes, and then finally in Minato’s eyes, a surface level story gains amazing depth. If you’re paying attention, you might see some of the writing on the wall before it gets to the final act, but that doesn’t make it any less satisfying.

Sometimes, the story presents threads that it never truly completes, like a storyline with Minato’s principal (Yūko Tanaka), or one with Eri (Hinata Hiiragi), Minato’s classmate, and his father (Shidō Nakamura). But that doesn’t take away from the story at the center of Monster. It’s hard to talk about the film without giving away its best parts, but in a Groundhog Day-like move, we relive the same set of days, turning Monster into a sort of mystery.

Monster is technically a drama, but Kore-eda dresses the film in different genres, sometimes as a Gothic horror, sometimes as a thriller, and sometimes as a mystery. The way Kore-eda positions the camera and builds suspense is done carefully. From Saori’s perspective, we know the least. Like it or not, parents tend to be the adults who know the least about their children. We’re left to wonder along with Saori about what is happening to Minato, our minds jumping to the worst case scenario. The end of Saori’s segment feels directly ripped from a Gothic novel, complete with howling winds and an oncoming typhoon.

‘Monster’ Defies Genres With an Ambiguous Ending

Image via Toho

With Hori, we go deeper. We see Minato at school and we see the conclusions that Hori comes to, but having seen him at home, Hori’s interpretation is also not fully accurate. But our opinion of the teacher changes after walking the proverbial mile in his shoes. Kore-eda takes a generally unlikeable character who makes some crass remarks and acts irreverently to Saori and turns him sympathetic.

With Minato, the pieces finally come together, and it’s not a horror movie or a thriller that we’re in. It’s something softer, sweeter, and more innocent. Its heartfelt and emotional center is only revealed in the final act as we learn the source of Minato’s troubles and the truth of what is going on in his life. Peeling back the layers through different perspectives shows us just what kind of kid Minato is, a vast difference from who we met in the first third of the movie.

Fitting with the format of the film, the story ends ambiguously, leaving the ending open to interpretation. Kore-eda does enough heavy lifting through the film that even this feels satisfying in some way. We still have questions, but those questions don’t leave us feeling unfulfilled at all.

Rating: B+

Monster had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.