Monster (2023)
After Shoplifters, Kore-eda's every single film has been added to my watchlist so naturally I was highly excited to see his latest work Monster. While watching, I constantly wondered what the title meant and who was the actual monster in the story because of how well it was written. I wouldn't say the plot is something mind-blowing because at the end of the day, it can be classified as an everyday human story. However, the way in which the narrative unfolded while constantly altering my perception of the characters and the story itself, made it an engaging experience.
The film begins with a building engulfed in flames. We aren't told the cause behind the fire and all we see is a young boy named Minato overlooking the blazes. A couple of days later, Minato comes home with some injuries and the mother becomes concerned about his wellbeing. When she goes to confront the school, she notices everyone behaving in a peculiar manner, particularly her son's teacher who becomes the main suspect. Eventually, we get to see the same tale told from the perspective of that teacher as well as Minato's friend Yori.
In essence, it is a story of friendship which shows how complicated life can be for school children. It also shows how challenging it is to be a school teacher when it comes to dealing with little Monsters. One particular element that stood out to me was Yori's perpetual optimism no matter what situation he found himself in. While the story slightly meandered at the beginning, it became more interesting with each passing moment. Kore-eda directed the film in a smooth way relying well selected backgrounds and decorations to create an "everyday" atmosphere while using a beautiful soundtrack. It's a film that made me feel a lot of things and as I spent time thinking about it, I grew to appreciate it even more.
Movieswithoutshmovies on Instagram for honest movie and TV reviews.
After Shoplifters, Kore-eda's every single film has been added to my watchlist so naturally I was highly excited to see his latest work Monster. While watching, I constantly wondered what the title meant and who was the actual monster in the story because of how well it was written. I wouldn't say the plot is something mind-blowing because at the end of the day, it can be classified as an everyday human story. However, the way in which the narrative unfolded while constantly altering my perception of the characters and the story itself, made it an engaging experience.
The film begins with a building engulfed in flames. We aren't told the cause behind the fire and all we see is a young boy named Minato overlooking the blazes. A couple of days later, Minato comes home with some injuries and the mother becomes concerned about his wellbeing. When she goes to confront the school, she notices everyone behaving in a peculiar manner, particularly her son's teacher who becomes the main suspect. Eventually, we get to see the same tale told from the perspective of that teacher as well as Minato's friend Yori.
In essence, it is a story of friendship which shows how complicated life can be for school children. It also shows how challenging it is to be a school teacher when it comes to dealing with little Monsters. One particular element that stood out to me was Yori's perpetual optimism no matter what situation he found himself in. While the story slightly meandered at the beginning, it became more interesting with each passing moment. Kore-eda directed the film in a smooth way relying well selected backgrounds and decorations to create an "everyday" atmosphere while using a beautiful soundtrack. It's a film that made me feel a lot of things and as I spent time thinking about it, I grew to appreciate it even more.
Movieswithoutshmovies on Instagram for honest movie and TV reviews.