Saori (Sakura Andô) has been raising 10-year-old son Minato (Soya Kurokawa) on her own ever since her husband passed away, but they’ve been making things work and everything seemed to be going great. That is, until Minato begins to act a little strangely each day when he comes home from school—from randomly cutting his own hair, to losing a single shoe, to standing under a bridge alone oddly chanting “who’s the monster?”, to telling his mother that his brain had been switched with that of a pig and that he’s a monster now. He also has some unexplained injuries. After some prodding, Minato reveals to his mother that his teacher, Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama), had physically and verbally assaulted him. Saori heads to the school, demanding answers, but Principal Fushimi (Yûko Tanaka) and the other teachers don’t seem to take her seriously, sticking to some sort of script, and trying to brush off the incidents with a generic apology. For some reason, they seem to be protecting this teacher, blaming Saori for being an overprotective single mother, and even suggesting that Minato was the one bullying another smaller student, Yori (Hinata Hiiragi). Saori is livid and confounded by what she’s hearing, and continues to confront those in charge. With her son in emotional and physical distress, Saori refuses to give up her quest for justice, and even resorts to legal action. However, as the rest of the film plays out, we soon discover that everything is not quite as it seems, and the situation is far more complex than anyone could have imagined.
I went into Monster blind, not knowing what type of film this was going to be—if it was a thriller, or if there was some sort of sci-fi element, or what—the title of Monster could mean anything. Monster comes from acclaimed, award-winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters, Broker), who takes a quite cleverly-crafted multi-layered approach towards the story. The film is broken into three acts, giving the viewer the chance to experience the same events through the perspectives of several different characters. Each act slowly pulls back the layers of this story, revealing more details about what really occurred, and hinting at who the true monster(s) really are. As the perspective shifts from the mother (Saori) to the teacher (Hori) to the child (Minato), you find yourself constantly questioning your loyalties and earlier judgements, and finding sympathy for characters you initially vilified and despised. And those characters you once thought were in the right, may not actually be so. What starts off as a bit of a tense thriller, becomes a psychological drama, and finally more of a coming of age drama by the end. Monster is an engaging drama that builds the tension, and constantly has you questioning what you believe. Each act allows a different actor to shine, with the focus of that act giving a really strong, emotional performance. While the film is set in Japan, and has elements that are specific to that culture, the story as a whole is quite universal. It has a beautiful look, and ward-winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s excellent piano score helps top add a more classic cinematic feel to the film. Monster is a thought-provoking film that is certainly worth a watch.
Well Go’s Blu-ray features solid picture and sound, but is barebones when it comes to bonus material. The video presentation provides a clean, clear picture with a solid level of detail throughout, even during the film’s darker sequences, such as a torrential downpour. The film is offered in both its original Japanese language as well as an English dub. I found the English dub to be generally well acted and an enjoyable way to watch the film. For those who prefer the original language, the English subtitles are also well-written and easy to follow. With either language, the dialogue remains clear throughout, and the track makes nice use of the stereo and surround channels to give the film more of an immersive feeling. This is especially noticeable as the winds and rain pick up for the typhoon.
The Blu-ray comes packed in a locking HD keepcase, and the disc just includes the film’s trailer and some previews for three other Well Go films as bonus material. There is no digital copy, but our review copy did include a nice cardboard slipcover.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:06:47)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Japanese Stereo, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo
- Subtitles: English
Extras:
- Trailer (2:28)
- Previews
- Eye For An Eye: The Blind Swordsman (1:36)
- The Childe (1:26)
- One-Percent Warrior (2:01)
Final Thoughts:
Monster is an expertly-crafted, thought-provoking drama that tells the same story through three different perspectives, with each act revealing more details about what really happened, and making the viewer question their prior ideas and judgements. The film shifts in tone from thriller, to psychological drama, to coming-of-age drama, and features some really strong, emotional performances. Well Go’s Blu-ray features solid picture and sound, and even offers an English dub option for those who prefer that, but the disc doesn’t include any bonus material. That said, the release still comes recommended based on the quality of the film itself.
Monster
$29.99 $19.45 (as of April 26, 2024 04:55 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Monster
$14.99 (as of April 26, 2024 04:55 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
