Monster ★★★

Saori (Sakura Andō) knows there is something wrong with her son Minato (Sōya Kurokawa). One day, he unexpectedly goes missing, Saori finding him late at night in an abandoned train tunnel. She concludes that there must be something going on at school and confronts the school’s principal and Minato’s teacher Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama). Minato tells his mother that Mr. Hori has been physically violent with him though the school is dismissive, insisting that there must be a misunderstanding. Saori is put off by the principal’s denunciation of her accusation and Mr. Hori, though perhaps not depicted as the most trustworthy by director Hirokazu Kore-eda, doesn’t seem genuine in his apology. When Mr. Hori tells Saori that her son has been bullying a fellow classmate, Yori (Hinata Hiiragi), something doesn’t seem to add up.

Where most films would depict Saori’s continued inquiry into her son’s behavior, Monster moves away from this, instead showing Mr. Hori’s perspective and then Minato’s. We come to understand that Saori is raising Minato as a single mother, and the school exhibits prejudice as she comes forward with her accusation, regarding her as overbearing. We also see Mr. Hori come to realize his perception of Minato isn’t right either – he learns that Minato and Yori are actually close friends. Minato carries the weight of not having a father in his life, and Yori also carries trauma of his own – his father is an alcoholic.

Monster peels back layers of the truth to show the distance between childrens’ experiences and adults’ perspectives. As sons who have faced challenges in their upbringings, Minato and Yori learn of the expectations that adults place on them even if these expectations run counter to being children. In response to this, Minato and Yori are hesitant to communicate their needs to adults and are unable to understand the repercussions of their deflections. To adults, Minato’s and Yori’s expressions cause panic and concern.

Like his films before, Monster demonstrates Hirokazu Kore-eda’s keen talent in showing how children experience and learn about the world around them. There’s a dark undertone to Monster that reveals how trauma can be formed within a child’s life, though the film places much hope in Minato and Yori and is sympathetic to Saori and Mr. Hori and their chances for reconciliation. Monster is understated as we come to expect from Kore-eda, and represents another strong addition to the director’s filmography.