Monster

Are we humans or monsters?

This movie didn't make me cry. But, it left a void in my heart. It pains and it hurts as if someone had stabbed my heart. I wish everyone in this world watches this movie irrespective of who they are. It will give a chance for us to destroy our inner demons and become more humane.
The story is told from three perspectives: Saori is a single mother who finds that her son is exhibiting strange behaviors lately. Her son Minato admits that he was beaten and abused by his teacher Hori. After this arc, we all tend to blame Hori. Then, we get Hori's perspective - he had always been kind to his students and Minato was injured by him accidentally. However, the whole school and press labels him as an abusive teacher and he is fired from his job. At this point, we audience tend to be indifferent towards Hori and think that he deserves to be hated. But, the real story is hidden behind Minato's POV. Minato has a crush on Yori, a boy in his class. Yori is often bullied by his rude classmates for his girly behavior. Minato is in denial because of the society norms and that causes him extreme stress, to the extent that he starts questioning his existence. Yori is always physically abused by his alcoholic single father, who believes that Yori has a disease and that he is a monster with pig brains. Despite all the bullying at school and the abuse from his father, Yori is very optimistic and gentle. The girls around him are always kind, but the boys give him a tough time. This factor alone shows how women are more matured, understanding and have an high degree of empathy within them. Parallel to all three arcs, we see the cold principal of the school. It is said that she killed her grandchild accidentally and let her husband take the fall, who is currently imprisoned. Whether its true or false is left to our own judgement.
I felt the movie was a huge irony in more than one way. In today's date, where social media is a rage, we don't fact-check everything before we draw conclusions. We only hear the narratives we favor. We don't want to listen to the other sides of the story. In fact, we don't even believe there are other narratives. Lets say, you come across a reel about an actor being accused of a hit-and-run. If you like the actor, you will say he's being framed. If you don't like the actor, you will say he deserves jail. And if you don't know the actor, you just ignore the reel, forgetting the reel quickly. There are many cases where innocent people commit suicide because of the hateful comments on social media. If even one life is lost because of our harsh words, aren't we monsters?
Throughout the film, rebirths are often mentioned, mostly by Minato. The ending leaves us hanging with many possibilities. Again, our perceptions come at play here. There are many hidden messages within the movie. For instance, Yori has become immune to the bullying and abuse because he is so much used to it - he doesn't feel anything anymore. This was revealed through a card game with Minato.
The entire cast were amazing, but the performance of the child actors are impeccable. That was Oscar-level acting. It is isn't easy to act in sensitive topics as a child.
Overall, this movie widened my horizons. It was thought-provoking and an eye-opener. No wonder it won so many laurels, including the Cannes festival.

Read More

Absolute Must See...!!!

I've watched A LOT of J-Drama's over the years. This one REALLY hit home with me personally and otherwise. You'll be thrown off at first when starting the film as to what it's about. But as it progresses it turns into a BEAUTIFUL emotional story between two kids and there feelings for each other. I could so totally relate to what they both were struggling with as i did myself when i was about there age maybe a bit older. Everything from the story itself, to the actors, music, and scenery is on spot. Please don't pass up this gem folks. It truly is a tear jerker so make sure you have your tissues ready. I can't emphasize enough it's probably one of THE BEST Asian drama's i've seen in a long while. This is the kind of film or drama series i want to see MUCH, MUCH, more of. 10/10...!!!

Read More

An intriguing film that tackles an important issue.

The story is told from three perspectives on events in a young boy's life. It is a "simple" film, but precisely because of this raw approach, it creates several moments of tension and suspense. I believe that knowing the film's central theme in advance took away much of the element of surprise for me, which slightly affected my experience. Despite this, it was precisely the theme that made me interested in watching the film.

I would like to highlight the children's performances, which are outstanding. Overall, it is a great film with multiple messages about different aspects of life, a good pace, and intriguing moments.

Read More

I feel they could have done so much more with a clearer focus. Despite the hype, not impressed.

I wish Minato and Yori appeared more, and would prefer a better ending.

--- Vague Spoilers --

Story: Director tries to put in a few themes, bullying, being different, societal conformity, japanese apologising/taking responsibility culture (even if not at fault), gay treatment therapy, felt a bit too many... Kind of drew the focus away from what (imo) should be the main theme, aka loving the same gender.

There is additional screen time given to the teacher and his lover to characterize him as a good teacher and set his character, but we don't see much of him in the Minato and Yori plot. Why do they have to combine the parent-teacher power dynamic and the Minato-Yori-classroom bullying plots into a single story? It feels like both deal with very significant issues that take a lot of emotions and shouldn't be so easily combined. I can see "What happens if they try to make their relationship official in their class, how do they cope and how do they overcome bulyling?" as one story, and "How does the teacher overcome this scapegoating done unto him, and how to deal with what is alleged vs what is actually true?" as another story with the teacher at the focus.

Ending: Giving an ambiguous ending is fine and all, but it left me feeling unfinished, would prefer an epilogue of Minato moving on or the aftermath, aka any change in classmates behaviour? teacher behaviour? Feels like they shown a spotlight on all the dark issues in the Japanese classroom and society and said "Ok, go think about it" and then left us with it.

Actors: Hinata acted so well as Yori the bumbling silly kid, a lighthearted facade with some dark thoughts, but I wished the characters could have been written with more emotional support -- like they're struggling but how do they come to terms with it. Minato's avoidance is only one part of the "gay panic", what about denial/ trying to like girls, what about acceptance, what about coming out?

--- Spoilers end --

I just feel they could have done so much more with it, and despite all the hype, not impressed. I think they could have done better with a clearer focus rather than so many themes, that only get brought up briefly but are never addressed (characters don't tackle or try to solve).

Read More

A movie to watch

Monster is a movie which is written by celebrated Japanese writer Yuji Sakamoto. However, Monster is a little more gritty. This film won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screen Play in 2023. Also, it’s star and female lead Sakura Ando won The Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actress for Monster. In addition, youth actor Soya Kurokawa from Teasing Master Takagi-san gives another great performance. He was nominated for Best New Comer from the Award of Japan Academy. This kid is going places.

While I think that Monster was well written, I have a huge issue with using (supposed) ten year olds with some of the subject material for this movie. It would have set better for me if 16-18 year olds were used. Could 10 year olds make these kind of choices?

Monster was nominated in 11 categories for the Japan Academy Awards.

Read More

A poignantly beautiful tale that keeps us pondering over

As many review here, I find it hard to write about the movie without spoiling the viewer and fail to describe how beautifully the movie is done.
It is best to not read any review at all before watching the movie to let your mind work the miracle.
In essence, the movie is about a tale of self-discovery of 2boys growing up being told in different perspectives of people closest to them. With each perspective being told, more details are provided for the viewers to conjugate the real story of what actually happens.
As other Koreeda's work, the movie would leave you in daze and linger for some time as viewers cant help but keep contemplating and pondering over the ending, the characters and the message of the movie.
Koreeda is truly a master of story telling and building emotion through a seemingly uneventful narration and seemingly “normal” characters. Still, one can always feel his effort in avoiding to force a conclusive ending and closing of the story, as if to maintain his neutral stand and to respect viewers’ interpretation of the tale. That is another thing I admire of Koreeda as it is incredibly hard for a director to avoid forcing his own view of the story without making it illogical and incomprehensible. One also feels his love for human as he refrains from condemning any character in the story.
By unveiling the story through different perspectives here, perhaps Koreeda wants to remind us again that there is always 2 sides of the story; and we should not jump to conclusion with our own prejudice and limited experience in this modern era where everyone is ready to attack others through the use of sns without properly contemplating over the event. How our interpretation of a story can go very wrong with misleading fabrication and gossips. And how we might have hurt others by our own prejudices and judgment built by societal norms of “normal”.
Who is the monster here but us human, flawed and frightened, traumatized by our own societal norms and interpretation.

Read More

this film will stay with you

"Monster" is a masterful film that defies genre classification. On the surface, it appears to be a horror movie, with eerie music and unsettling visuals. But as the story unfolds, it reveals itself to be a deeply human and emotionally resonant exploration of the complexities of human nature.

this film tells the story of a young boy who is ostracized by his classmates and struggles to find connection and understanding. As the story progresses, we see how this boy's experiences shape him and lead him down a dangerous path. But the film also explores the perspectives of the other characters, revealing the depth of their own struggles and pain.

The performances in the film are outstanding, particularly from the child actors who bring a raw and honest vulnerability to their roles. The cinematography is stunning, capturing the isolation and loneliness of the characters with haunting beauty. they are possibly the best child actors I've seen.

The direction by director Naoki Kato is skillful and assured, weaving together multiple storylines and themes with ease. The score by composer Takashi Kako is equally impressive, adding depth and atmosphere to the film without overpowering it.

this film will stay with you long after the credits roll. It's a powerful exploration of the human condition, a reminder that we are all complex and flawed individuals struggling to find our way in the world. It's a film that challenges us to confront our own biases and assumptions, and to seek understanding and empathy in the face of adversity. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant cinematic experience.

Read More