Monster Review - The Rashoman Effect On A Gutsy Tale of Child Abuse & Effiminacy

Monster Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster's Monster follows the pathbreaking "Roshomon" theory, which was used in Japanese cinema by Akira Kurosawa in 1950. Those who are aware of the Roshomon effect will understand this movie better than others, because that's the fun part, you know, knowing this pathbreaking theory for years and how only a few of them could get it right. Besides the Roshomon effect, Monster is a gutsy film as it attempts to explore sensitive topics like child abuse, school bullying, effiminacy, and gay romance at an early age (too early, I believe). This might just leave you disturbed for a while because you don't expect school boys to be part of all this.The film is about a single mother, Saori Mugino (Sakura Andō), and her son, Minato Mugino (Sōya Kurokawa), who is about 10 years old. Minato's strange behaviour lately worries Saori, which leads to a revelation about Minato's schoolteacher, Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama). Hori is accused of physical abuse by Minato, which shatters his professional and personal lives. He loses his job as well as his girlfriend. Hori reveals to Saori that her son is bullying another student, Yori (Hinata Hiiragi). Saori and Hori both begin to look at the details of the matter, and both find different facts. The narrative unfolds in flashbacks twice, first from Hori's point of view and then from Minato's point of view. Who is lying, and what are the facts? How is it related to bullying, child abuse, and effiminacy? Find out all the answers in the movie.Yuji Sakamoto has written a smart script for today's time. It's an artistic theme compiled with mainstream cinema. The screenplay feels a little slow in the second half because the results are already known. Also, the conversations aren't that engaging, so you feel like taking a nap for a minute or two. Forgiving that, you can always look for pluses and how this film is ahead of its time—not for Japanese audiences but for audiences in foreign countries. The Japanese audience already knows the Roshomon effect from 1950; it might be others who aren't aware of it. So for them, it's daily milk, while for others, it must be a honey cup, coming once a month. Moreover, it is such a gutsy film for contemporary cinema. How many movies look at children's romance, and is that too in a taboo category? We hardly get any bisexual, lesbian, or gay romances nowadays, and then there is Monster coming up with a taboo love story about school boys.Monster is led by a child artist, Sōya Kurokawa, but don't even think for a minute that he would perform like a child. He has done a great job, like a mature artist. Yes, he asks some childish and stupid questions just to show out his age, but the maturity he shows in those intimate and emotional scenes is damn impressive. The same goes for Hinata Hiiragi, who has a few punchlines and some major scenes despite his low screen presence. Eita Nagayama shows how it's done without losing momentum, whereas Sakura Andō's leaves no stone unturned to win you over with her performance. The small roles of Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Tsunoda, Shidō Nakamura, and Yūko Tanaka aren't great, but fairly okay.Ryuto Kondo camerawork speaks with images that have graphical appeal and meaning as well. A few slow pauses are somewhat irritating, but again, it's the fault of the editor too. Hirokazu Kore-eda has edited the film himself, so one can say that he was just expanding his own vision. It took longer than expected, though. He could have shortened it, for sure. Ryuichi Sakamoto's music and production value looked fine. Hirokazu Kore-eda's direction skills are much better than his editing skills and slightly lower than his writing skills. Monster is a great script, is all I mean here. It's a bit slow and less emotional, and that's why it falls short of what we call "modern classic." Nevertheless, it is close to that tag, and it's a big achievement in today's times. Strongly recommended to quality cinema lovers who have stomachs and appetites for new styles of filmmaking and stories. Once again, thanks for regenerating "Roshomon".