Palme d’Or winner with ‘A family affair’ (‘Shoplifters’) and present in the Official Section with other works (‘Broker’ was also awarded, for its leading actor), there is no doubt that Hirokazu Koreeda it is well received and liked at the Cannes Film Festival. I like it too and I was glad to know that I would be releasing another feature film, ‘Monster‘ or ‘Kaibutsu’, in this 76th edition. What I did not expect was to see THIS MOVIE.
Curiously, last year Hirokazu Koreeda was competing in Cannes alongside lukas dont, which presented ‘Close’ (winner of the Grand Jury Prize); ‘Monster’ looks like her adoptive sister. Another story about adolescent classmates and friends, involved in a series of events that push them to the limit and that, without revealing too much, revolve around the bullying, misunderstanding adults, guilt and love (Ethan Hawke said the other day that all movies talk about love in a certain way, and I think he’s right).
Of course, the Dhont and Koreeda movies are very different despite their common elements. Not only because of the style of its authors but also because of the different sensitivity and mentality of Belgians and Japanese (Koreeda filmed ‘Broker’ in South Korea but in his own way). In fact, ‘Monster’ continues coherently with the themes and we could say that obsessions that the Japanese filmmaker has been working on since its inception. What is unexpected here is that he is still able to bring novel approaches to developing the stories that characterize him.
everyday monstrosities
‘Monster’ starts with a powerful violent image that portends tragedy: a tall building on fire. Without context or explanation (for the moment), this mystery becomes the axis on which Koreeda is going to build this story about everyday “monsters”, an intrigue that constantly challenges the viewerquestioning their view of the world, their prejudices and preconceived ideas about the behavior of others.
This instinctive and superficial management of information that we develop as a method of survival in society, participating in a “normality” that is sometimes so fragile and hypocritical, where we know that appearances are deceiving but not how or in what way. Everything tends to be more complex but maybe we don’t bother to rethink, or it doesn’t compensate us. It may sound like an obvious message but wait until you discover the movie because the script is very clever and all its “traps” and twists are elegantly executedwith the mastery of those who dominate this art.
In fact, while Koreeda is best known for his sensitive everyday family narratives that speak of traditions and personal relationships, he has previously worked with disturbing plots that revolve around violent behavior, such as his foray into the crime drama, ‘The Third assassination’, from 2017. This time he is more inspired by the script for ‘Monster’ (written by Yûji Sakamoto), so twisted and that it could be signed by someone like Park Chan-wook.
The structure of ‘Monster’ consists of three clearly different parts and the first is the most baffling. Following the image of the enigmatic fire, a single mother begins to detect strange behavior from her teenage son; Concerned about her health, she interrogates him until the boy admits that a teacher is being abusive towards him. When the woman meets with the college, the response is extremely strange; however, the accused teacher asks for forgiveness. Since there is no real change, the mother asks for the replacement of the teacher, whose attitude is most suspicious… And then, when we think we know what the movie is about, it starts again.
The second act changes the point of view and reinterprets the events, offering more information from the experience of another protagonist. And later, when we are sure of what has really happened with that teacher and those children, the third and last chapter will start, where everything changes again. It’s the most revealing and exciting segment, with a couple of scenes that left me on the verge of tears and goosebumps (something I’m noticing again as I write these words).
‘Monster’, another Koreeda masterpiece
Since his early works, Hirokazu Koreeda has talked about abandoned or missing childrencharacters who find their place in the world, families formed beyond blood ties, of life outside of society and, ultimately, of unique human relationships with their own codes that can be extravagant or even scandalous outside the bubble, but that work, in their own way. The filmmaker has always asked to look beyond, to understand something else that is not conventional, normative and socially accepted (going beyond the Japanese vision, even though it is his main focus of attention for obvious reasons).
In all his stories he has managed to move not only thanks to his storytelling skills but also through his direction of actors, especially the decisions regarding the younger performers, from whom he usually obtains sensational results. The entire cast of ‘Monster’ works wonderfully (the transformation of Yuko Tanakain the shoes of the school director) but the performances of the two leading boys are on another level and are the key to making everything work properly harmonious. They have really amazing scenes, don’t miss this movie.
Dedicated to Ryūichi Sakamoto, who provides the music for ‘Monster’, Hirokazu Koreeda’s new story begins as a disturbing thriller that leads to an emotional and beautiful film, which asks to look beyond the surface and carefully assess the circumstances before passing judgment on another person. Is one of the movies of the year and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if it achieved some success at this Cannes Film Festival.
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