L'innocenza

It's been a while since I've seen a movie with such a smart and yet unpretentious and delicately constructed script, all the while managing not to "flex" it's wiseness on the viewer like most western script-focused works do.

The movie takes three perspectives of charatcers with wildly differing outlooks on a situation, as well as problems in their lives, to guide you through a series of events that starts as looking like a typical case of teacher psychological and physical abuse, but, through the juxtaposing of these three different perspectives, manages to paint a picture with details and nuance hardly ever found on movies, and reveal that the issue was about something else entirely. With characters with complex emotions and issues, as well as not always clear or comprehensive actions, like real life human beings, it is a captivating watch.

With no spoilers, as I feel the movie works best going in without knowing a single thing about it, I can only describe or hint that there are no monsters at all in the movie, the 'Monster' in the title here would have been better translated as 'Beast', or something non-human, sub-human specially, and it is a commentary on how we are all made to feel sub-human sometimes for the way we feel and how we act, a commentary on the shortcomings of humans as individuals, as well as the fact that this 'un-humaness' sometimes projected into us by our peers is in fact what makes us Human. Everyone in this movie (save a few non-protagonist characters) is capable of great love as well as great harm. As a troubled kid, deeply misinterpreted during my shcool years, who suffered abuse and neglect, but also caused great harm on others, I couldn't help but cry copiously during some scenes in this movie, and I can count on my fingers the amount of times I've cried during a movie. Acting is on point as well, with a special mention to the kid's duo who manage to protray an immensily complex and believable relationship. On a techical level the film is subdued, although it shines here and there (one scene specially): the photogrphy is nothing mind blowing, the same can be said for the soundtrack, but I feel these elements, that can often break the suspense of disbelief, ot take too much attention to itself when being over the top, was left purposefully barebones for the audience to focus on the characters and the stories being told. Excellent film, so far Koreeda's best (that I've watched) and I hope it wins as many Best Foreign Picture awards as possible.

Ryuichi Sakamoto's music, the precise editing, the great use of anamorphic lenses, the surprisingly dynamic soundscape, the great use of the Ronin 4D compact camera system, Hirokazu's brilliant directing and surprisingly dynamic staging. All of this existed to serve the impeccable performances and the brilliant story.

Yes, it's very much a contemporary piece, made with contemporary gear, set in the present. Still, the story felt timeless. I think that's why comparisons to the classic Rashomon are often made about this film, though I find them incredibly stretched. We are never lied to like we would've been watching Rashomon in this film, we experience the story exactly as the characters experience them.

In a time where meta films like Babylon and Asteroid City are starting to re-examining their own value, and even big blockbusters like Oppenheimer and Dead Reckoning needed to remind a post-COVID audience of their "return to practicality" techniques to bring them to the cinemas, this is the one that truly reminded me of why I go to the movies in the first place.

Lightning in a bottle.

During the initial hour, you may experience a state of complete bewilderment, unsure of the exact themes being portrayed in here. Is it centred around the troubled minds of children, or does it delve into the realms of bullying, abuse, or even something more sinister?

Several questions will plague your mind, regardless of your strong inclination to scrutinise this narrative, you will find little to no clarity due to the intricately crafted script that almost follows a 'Rashomon' structure, presenting different perspectives.

At the outset, your queries will remain unanswered, requiring further patience. However, if you can somehow endure that burden, the film remarkably unravels itself in the concluding moments, connecting every single dot and revealing its ultimate truth underneath.

I must admit, I was blown away by the revelation. The way Hirokazu Koreeda, the director, masterfully navigates through such delicate and complex themes without resorting to any impure contemplations is commendable, to say the very least.

"Monster" has now undoubtedly become my personal favourite from him, even exceeding one of his most acclaimed work, 'Shoplifters'.

P. S. The performances delivered by the two kids, Soya Kurokawa (Minato) and Hinata Hiiragi (Yori), were nothing short of outstanding. The scenes between them never felt superficial, not once, and their maturity, especially considering their young age, deserves nothing but high praise.

The story isnt that complex but the journey the film maker takes us on is complex, exaggerating along the way the opacity of the conundrums facing the subjects. Life is difficult, until you see the end result, so navigating life can be extremely taxing and frustrating. This movie is called Monster, meaning that assumptions are often the monsters that they lead us down painful paths, often unnecessarily.

This is a deeply compassionate film. It requires an investment from the viewer but pays off handsomely in the end. This is a filmmaker who is improving with every release. Soon he will be in the same strata as Park Chan Wook.

A very well constructed film exploring the complexity of how simple words and actions affect people in unexpected ways. Highly relatable in showing how, armed with only a superficial understanding of a person or situation, context can be manufactured to fit a particular narrative. But not only individuals, but institutions as well are put in the crosshairs. The bureaucratic value placed on appearance and propriety (perhaps more particularly in Japanese society but nevertheless universal) is also critiqued.

But the most telling point, and for me the one most central to the story, was what could have been dismissed as a throw-away line. But at its heart, the perfect example of how simple words create a life of their own. It's when the teacher, Mr. Hori, casually, and quite un-seriously, remarks in the PE class about what it is to be a man. At its core, that's what the film is about, understanding who you are as a human, and accepting it on your own terms. Confusion, misinterpretation, familial and societal expectations of how someone must be, or act, or love, can turn them into the other, the strange, the monster. And the film is overflowing with empathy for all those who become afflicted in one way or another.

If the film has one drawback, it's that the editing in the later stages of the film gets a bit loose. The time-jump and multiple perspective structure of the film works magnificently well for most of the film, but nearing the end, it does tend to drag a bit. But overall, a wonderfully engaging and skillfully produced film.