#TIFF23 Review: Monster (Special Presentations)

By John Corrado

★★★½ (out of 4)

The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7th to 17th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

The latest from Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda (following last year’s Korea-set Broker), Monster is a simmering drama about childhood and bullying that holds us in its grip as the story keeps reverting to reveal new information and continuously questioning who or what the title represents.

Set in modern Japan, the film centres around Saori (Sakura Ando), a widowed mother, and her school-aged son Minato (Sōya Kurokawa). Saori begins to panic when Minato starts asking strange questions and exhibiting disturbing behaviour at home, recounting stories that suggest a young teacher at his school, Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama), might have something to do with his sudden emotional changes.

The film unfolds as a bit of a mystery as perspectives shift and more facts come to light, with the screenplay by Sakamoto Yûji employing a Rashomon-like narrative structure to tell this story, which Kore-eda deftly and skillfully brings to the screen. The characters are experiencing confusion and doubt, so it’s fitting that the audience is also left to question ourselves as the film goes on, and undercurrents of anger and sadness take hold. The film is carried by excellent performances, including from its young stars Kurokawa and Hinata Hiiragi, as Minato’s outcast classmate Yori.

In the wrong hands, this could have descended into melodrama. But Kore-eda is a master at crafting multilayered stories with shades of grey characters. The film builds and builds to a powerful finale, that leaves us genuinely moved by the end. The film is complimented by a beautiful, poignant musical score by the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto (who just passed away in March), that elevates the emotional impact at every step and is enough to draw tears.