As expected, I loved the latest by Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda AKA Kore-eda Hirokazu. In three distinct acts, each from a different character's perspective, the viewer can't be sure who is truly the "monster" in this story about a mother, her son, his friend, and their interactions with their fifth grade schoolteacher. I have ideas and will be glad to discuss them in private. Koreeda always does wonderful and sensitive work with children and those who love them.
Monster's principal cast is Sakura Andô as the mother Saori, Soya Kurokawa as her son Minato, Hinata Hiiragi as his friend Yori, and Eita Nagayama as the teacher Hori.
Screenwriter Yûji Sakamoto based the story on some of his own childhood experiences.
36 minutes of the music by Ryuichi Sakamoto (1952-2023) is available on Apple Music and the movie is dedicated to him. He and Koreeda are among my favorite filmmakers, period.
The movie was shot on location in the Suwa region of Nagano Prefecture in mid 2022, with about 700 local elementary school students acting as extras. One of the many things I learned in my 2019 trip to Japan is that the Japanese customarily bow in greeting, but, when apologizing, they bow more deeply. Watch for that.
Ando was last blogged for Shoplifters, Koreeda for Broker, and Ryuichi Sakamoto for The Revenant. Kurokawa, now 13, has done a little TV and this is his first feature. Hiiragi, now 12, has been in one other feature and a bunch of TV episodes. Nagayama has been a busy actor since his 2001 debut, with dozens of features and episodes, and this is Yuji Sakamoto's seventh feature.
Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are hugely behind this, averaging 96 and 92%. I rented it on Apple TV on March 13 in Japanese with English subtitles but you can watch it dubbed into English if that's your preference.
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