Monster (2023) made some noise earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival. The film from Hirokazu Kore-eda won best screenplay and Queer Palm at the festival. With all of this hype, we were excited to have to chance to watch Monster.

In the film, we follow the story of a young boy, Minato, told through different perspectives with each one shining a light at something new. We don’t get the full picture until the end. As you continue to watch, the story unfolds revealing hidden secrets. Check out a small synopsis below:

When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually emerges.

First and foremost, I really enjoyed all of the performances in Monster. The actors all get their moment to shine as the story goes back and forth between perspectives. A lot of moments are very complex and have so much emotional weight to them. It really takes a lot to pull off some of these scenes and make them that impactful. I truly believe the script was amazing, but each of the actor’s performances elevated the film even more. There were so many times I felt moved by all of the emotions the actors were portraying.

The score from Ryuichi Sakamoto also is very tender and emotional. A lot of what makes this movie special are some of the quiet moments where you just hear the music. It truly is something magical what Sakamoto was able to accomplish with such a strong yet gentle score. The composer tragically passed away this year so it’s incredible to still be able to hear what he has left behind. I found myself captivated from the beginning and ready to listen to the score all over again. The cinematography is also gorgeous and rich with some amazing shots of the country and city. It really brings the whole world to life and has you much more immersed in the story.

Of course, the script here is one of the most talked about for the year as it went on to win the prestigious award at Cannes. It takes a lot to make a script like this work when you’re trying to connect it all by the end. There were moments during my watch that I wondered how all this would make sense. I found it incredible to see how different the perspectives were for the same situation. Monster explores not only our humanity but also how perception and judgement can break someone’s soul. In the film, we see pretty much the same days over and over, but they feel different each time. The reason is because the many times we see them it’s from three different character’s viewpoints. It’s amazing to see how all of this comes together in the end to tell a truly rich story of growing up and accepting yourself. There are so many moments as well that has dialogue between characters or a monologue that are just so beautifully written. The film has a lot of humanity through its actors and the script really amplifies that.

In the end, I really found Monster to be poignant and incredibly beautiful. I truly believe this is one of the best films of the year and a must see.

We give Monster 4.5/5.