Monster (怪物, Kaibutsu)

2023 | Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

Monster is a wonderful film about different perspectives and the roles we’re all forced into if we wish to conform to society. There are a lot of mysteries, and throughout much of it, you’re guessing as to what actually happened, empathizing with the people whose perspective you’ve seen and identifying some of the other characters as monsters. Then you get to see what they’re really like, and you realize that everyone is trying their best to survive in a world that isn’t made for them.

In the first perspective the viewer is presented with, the single mother Saori Mugino (Sakura Andô), it is clear that the school her son goes to is protecting an abusive teacher, the monster. As a viewer, I identified with her, felt her frustration, and wished for justice more than anything else. Then, when the perspective shifted, I realized what kind of film I was watching. Nothing is black-and-white. The monster might not be who I thought, and perhaps the victim isn’t either. Showing events from different perspectives, revealing details bit by bit, is a classic storytelling technique, already perfected by Rashomon (1950), but in Monster, the different perspectives aren’t subjective. We’re not presented with unreliable narrators trying to further their own agenda. Every perspective is an objective truth, filtered through the characters’ lived experiences and roles in society. It is a very effective way of guiding the viewer through piecing together the larger narrative while simultaneously highlighting prejudices and injustices.

While some of the events in Monster feel almost claustrophobic, the viewer is also shown an alternative. There is a life possible outside the rigidity of modern society and the norms imposed by it. Freedom in nature and in the company of other people, available to anyone who dares remove their mask and show their true self to other like-minded people. Because even if those who want to guide you into the predefined roles of society only want the best for you and everyone close to you, there is a real chance that the role reserved for you might make you miserable if it’s not who you truly are. Being an outsider isn’t necessarily a bad thing when society itself is the problem.

In my opinion, Monster is a really good film. It won best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, deservedly. The excellent portrayal of how truths can be fluid and of how our identities can shift in different situations and around different people made me question how I jumped to conclusions prematurely. There’s true beauty here as well, in the relationships, the cinematography, and the narrative itself. I think there’s something for almost anyone in this film, and I won’t hesitate to recommend it to friends and family.