17/03/24

Cineworld, Edinburgh

After his Korean-set story Broker, director Kore-Eda Hirokazu returns to his Japanese homeland for Monster, working alongside screenwriter, Yûji Sakamoto. The result won the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes film festival and it’s easy to see what entranced the judges. This masterful Rashomon-style story offers us the same set of circumstances from three different perspectives and, as each successive layer is revealed, our perceptions are radically changed and confounded.

The story is set in an unnamed Japanese suburb and begins with a devastating fire at a local hostess bar. Rumours fly about who might have been there at the time, and suspicion falls on Hori (Eita Nagayama), a young teacher at the local primary school. Single mother Saori (Sakura Mugino) becomes increasingly concerned by some of the things that her young son, Minato (Sōya Kurokawa), says to her and she develops the suspicion that Hori may be bullying him. But when she makes enquiries, she is met with an ultra-polite wall of apologies from Yori’s fellow teachers, headed up by the school’s inscrutable principal (Yūko Tanaka). And what is Saori to make of Yori’s claim that Minato has himself been bullying fellow pupil, Hoshikawa (Hinata Hiragi)?

As the plot unravels, a question arises: who exactly is the titular monster of the tale?

But in this story, appearances can be deceptive. As soon as I settle upon one explanation, I am obliged to drastically rethink it – and it would be criminal to reveal anything more about this sly, gently paced and decidedly labyrinthine film. Suffice to say that, as it it moves sure-footedly towards a thought-provoking, open-ended conclusion, it generates a powerful grip.

There are wonderful performances here, particularly from the young leads, who perfectly embody the awful uncertainty of pre-adolescence – and from Mugino, whose baffled incredulity is palpable as she struggles through the hoops and hurdles of bureaucracy. There’s also a gentle, melancholy soundtrack courtesy of the legendary Ryuichi Sakamoto – sadly his last.

Monster is an accomplished film and Kore-Eda clearly a director at the top of his game.

4.6 stars

Philip Caveney