Monster is a carefully crafted study of the pain of feeling what you feel when you are a pre teen, and everything is not quite what you think it is. Seen in a long series of flashbacks taken from differing points of view from a succession of characters we watch single mother (Sakura Ando) trying to understand why her young son Minato ( Soya Kurosawa) is acting so strangely. She hears through the grapevine that his outwardly diffident teacher Mr Hori ( Eita Nagayami) is bullying him and as she battles with the grief stricken and obsequious headmistress ( Yuko Tanaka) it is suggested that Minato is in fact bullying another boy, the gentle and slightly effeminate Eri ( Hinata Hiiragi)
Like the skin on an onion, director Hirokazu Kor-eda, slowly peels away the reality of the story with some care and with a Japanese eye, examines homophobia, physical and sexual abuse, and maintaining honour and saving face within the story of two boys growing up.
It’s an incredibly fascinating and rather sad story all told , acted beautifully by all involved. Ando and Nagayami are especially strong as the lioness mother and bemused teacher and veteran actress Yuko Tanaka is compelling in her emotionless turn as the damaged headmistress.
Kor-eda finally brings all the threads together by the final reel , but he gives the audience two endings, one hopeful, one tragic .
I’d like to think everyone picked the hopeful one
I’m off to Chester again tomorrow , but this time to the theatre to see The Kite Runner. How lucky am I Japan one day Kabul the next .
You inspire me John, you never seem to stop , I’ve got off my ass this week and booked tickets to the ballet,
ReplyDeleteLee
Given the choice I'll always pick a hopeful ending .And hopeful beginning,too.I just heard the first robin song of the year ! Enjoy the theater,
ReplyDelete-Mary
That sounds like a complex and interesting movie. Two possible endings sounds like it will leave the audience thinking.
ReplyDeletethank you for the heads up about a good movie.
ReplyDeleteHow lucky indeed. You've travelled just a few miles and been to distant corners of the world! I, too hope everyone chose the hopeful ending. There's enough tragedy in the world. xx
ReplyDeleteI watched the film. As you know, I lived in Japan long ago, and thought of 'becoming Japanese' for a year, and though I could speak the language fairly well, knew that I'd never be Japanese as long as I lived. I was a Gaikokujin, a foreigner, who would never be accepted.
ReplyDeleteI thought the film was moving, and your review was both accurate and empathetic.
I wonder at this stage, if I've ever really found a home in this world.
Cheers, my friend
That comment moved me
DeleteKJ
You have a gentle heart so will always be bruised by things I think .what intrigued you the most about Japan?
DeleteWhy the draw?
Was the film sub-titled? Watching sub-titled films forces viewers to engage with a different and perhaps more intense form of concentration.
ReplyDeleteI love subtitled movies for that very reason. Yes it was
DeleteI have heard of that movie as well. Unfortunately, in my corner of the world, we just don't have access to those kind of movies at a theater. I will watch for an opportunity to stream it though.
ReplyDeleteJohn. Hello from SFO.
ReplyDeleteYou said this film touched upon homophobia. I've read that Japan lags behind most industrial countries when it comes to LGBTQ rights, so I hoping this movie is a step in the right, i.e., tolerant, direction.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a study of childhood and of abuse too…the homophobia is only seen by childhood tauntings
DeleteI would always choose the hopeful ending. You have a really interesting and enjoyable weekend there.
ReplyDeleteJudging from this morning's Breakfast programme on BBC you are better travelling in the mind and on the cinema screen this week end rather than standing in a long airport queue with a thousand other folk. Enjoy your week end. x
ReplyDeleteMakes me want to go see this one.
ReplyDeleteI'm always skeptical of movies where I have to choose the ending, but this sounds intriguing.
ReplyDelete"ate it with chopsticks" Ooh get you! Just "I ate it" would have been sufficient without being so ridiculously pretentious. It's not an attractive trait yet you wonder why you're single.
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