Monster Review

Release Date – 15th March 2024 Cert – 12, Run-time – 2 hours 7 minutes, Director – Hirokazu Kore-eda

When her son (Soya Kurokawa) begins to hold himself back, single mother (Sakura Ando) demands answers from his school, where he claims a teacher (Eita Nagayama) is abusing him.

We’ve already witnessed about half of the ambiguous drama that director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest has to offer when one of the most key lines is uttered. “What really happened doesn’t matter” says headteacher Fushimi (Yūko Tanaka) to accused teacher Mr Hori (Eita Nagayama). She wants to protect her school, and perhaps her own reputation, in the wake of claims that the fifth grade teacher has been abusing one of his students – both verbally and physically. Yet, the question lingers as to if this is really the case, what is truly going on?

Minato’s (Soya Kurokawa) single mother, Saori (Sakura Ando), believes her son’s eventual reasoning behind his scars, bruises and increasingly quiet and held off behaviour, finding herself in frequent meetings with the school arguing this case. However, she’s constantly met with downplaying from the school and a lack of action. The hesitancy from those also in the meeting – insisting that there’s been a misunderstanding of instruction from the child – brings about thoughts of Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt. While not holding the same overall sinister tone, the ambiguity which runs throughout creates a fascinating thread of confliction, particularly when we see events from different perspectives while still allowing for consistent uncertainty.

Helped by fantastic performances from Ando and Nagayama the film gets across the point that anyone could be, and perhaps everyone is, hiding something. Preventing the truth from getting out for their own reasons. Even as things grow and we learn more detail there’s something else to question around each corner. Brilliantly tracked by Kore-eda and writer Yūji Sakamoto suspense creeps its way in as Minato’s behaviour grows stranger after he’s found wandering around a tunnel at night, before throwing himself out of a moving car claiming that he has a pig’s brain in his head. He’s at the fore of the conversation and we’re reminded that his words are the reason many of the discussions and meetings are happening, and yet there’s a seemingly personal angle and effect for everyone involved.

As Saori becomes more desperate to see her son happy again you feel the love that she has for him, the pain that she feels seeing him like this. Yet, as we shift perspectives the coin flip to wondering what if Hori is innocent, what if he’s going to lose his career and that around him for something he didn’t do, comes into almost instant effect. Everything gels together to continue the threads without starting over and creates a drama full of intrigue and mystery. It’s only as we get to the third act that things somewhat move away. While ambiguity is still present it feels as if some threads aren’t quite picked up, some intentionally so, and therefore leave the film more open ended than it perhaps wants to be.

While what we see panning out still works and provides a good deal to engage with, especially in relation to the 90 minutes or so we’ve seen beforehand, however there feels like less of a push the more we see from this stage onwards. A large part of this likely because of the ideas and ends which aren’t brought back up and are left on their own in the moments they help construct. Yet, as perspectives come together and start to work alongside each other instead of against for layers of ambiguity there’s still a good deal to like, and suspense takes a new form as the narrative starts to twist and reveal its true colours.

While it might slightly move away from its initial suspense and ambiguity in a third act which leaves one or two points unanswered, Monster is a strong drama led by its layered mysteries and performances.

★★★★