Monster (2023 film)

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Monster
Theatrical release poster
Kanji怪物
Revised HepburnKaibutsu
Directed byHirokazu Kore-eda
Written byYuji Sakamoto
Starring
CinematographyRyuto Kondo[1]
Edited byHirokazu Kore-eda
Music byRyuichi Sakamoto
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Gaga
  • Toho
Release dates
  • 17 May 2023 (2023-05-17) (Cannes)
  • 2 June 2023 (2023-06-02) (Japan)
Running time
125 minutes[2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box officeUS$21.9 million[3]

Monster (Japanese: 怪物, romanized: Kaibutsu) is a 2023 Japanese psychological dramatic mystery thriller film directed and edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda from a screenplay written by Yuji Sakamoto.[4] It stars Sakura Andō as a mother who confronts a teacher after noticing disturbing changes in her son's behavior.[5] The film marks the first time Kore-eda has directed a film he did not write himself since Maborosi (1995). The film was the last scoring project by Ryuichi Sakamoto (no relation to Yuji Sakamoto), who died two months before its release; the film is dedicated to his memory.[6]

Monster had its world premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2023, where it competed for the Palme d'Or and was honored with the Queer Palm as well as the Best Screenplay award. The film was released in Japan on 2 June 2023. It received widespread critical acclaim with singled out praise towards its screenplay, direction, acting, editing and musical score and vastly appeared in numerous lists of top ten year's best.

Plot[edit]

Saori Mugino is a single mother raising her fifth grade son, Minato. He soon begins exhibiting strange behavior such as cutting his own hair and coming home with only one shoe. One night, Minato does not come home at all and after calling around, Saori finds him in an abandoned train tunnel. Saori begins to suspect her son's teacher, Mr. Hori, is abusing him and confronts the school about it. She is treated coldly by the faculty, culminating in Mr. Hori making a disingenuous apology. When she confronts Hori directly, he asserts that Minato is actually bullying another student named Yori. Saori visits Yori's house and he, despite his own strange behavior, seems fond of and concerned for Minato. Hori is eventually fired from the school, but returns days later and Minato falls down a flight of stairs trying to escape from him. Hori later comes to Saori and Minato's house during a rain storm, but Saori finds that Minato has gone missing.

A flashback returns to the beginning of the film from Hori's point of view. He notices Minato exhibiting disruptive behavior, such as throwing other students' belongings around the classroom and seemingly locking Yori in a bathroom stall. Hori too visits Yori's house, where he discovers that his father, Kiyotaka, is an abusive alcoholic. When Saori begins inquiring about her son, the faculty pressure Hori to let them handle it to protect the reputation of the school, ultimately requiring him to resign. After he is hounded by journalists and left by his girlfriend, Hori returns to the school to confront Minato, and contemplates jumping from the roof of the school after the boy falls down the stairs. During the rainstorm, Hori notices a pattern in Yori's old homework that seems to spell out Minato's name. Realizing the two boys were actually in love, Hori rushes to the Mugino household to apologize and assure him nothing is wrong with him. When Saori tells him Minato is missing, they go to the train tunnel to find him. They find an abandoned railcar nearly buried in mud, but inside the train car, we only see Minato's poncho.

A final flashback begins from Minato's point of view. Yori is routinely picked on by the other boys for his asocial and seemingly effeminate behavior. Yori plays with Minato's hair, which the latter then impulsively cuts off. The two boys grow close and Minato begins defending him from other bullies, which Hori confuses for bullying. As the two become closer, Minato is distressed that his feelings are becoming romantic and that he is not a worthy son to his father. One night when he goes to Yori's house, Yori and Kiyotaka declare that Yori has been "cured," though Yori quickly recants, which incites his father's wrath. During the rainstorm, Minato finds Yori abandoned fully clothed in his bathtub, covered in bruises, and the two escape to the abandoned railcar, which has become their hideout. After the rain subsides, they emerge from the bottom of the railcar and question whether they have been reborn, and run through a field together. In the distance, a path the two wanted to take earlier that was gated off is now gate free, with no wreckage in sight.

Cast[edit]

  • Sakura Andō as Saori Mugino, a single mother
  • Eita Nagayama as Michitoshi Hori, Minato and Yori's homeroom teacher
  • Sōya Kurokawa as Minato Mugino, Saori's son
  • Hinata Hiiragi as Yori Hoshikawa, Minato's classmate
  • Mitsuki Takahata as Hirona Suzumura, Hori's lover
  • Akihiro Tsunoda as Humiaki Shoda, the vice-principal of the elementary school that Minato and Yori attend
  • Shidō Nakamura as Kiyotaka Hoshikawa, Yori's father and a single father
  • Yūko Tanaka as Makiko Fushimi, elementary school principal

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Hirokazu Kore-eda (2015)

For Hirokazu Kore-eda, Monster is the first Japanese-language film he has directed since the international success of Shoplifters (2018), which won the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. In between, he shot two feature films: the English- and French-language The Truth (2019) and the Korean-language Broker (2022). Initial information about the project became known in November 2022 after filming had concluded. At this point, Monster was in post-production. For the first time since his feature film debut Maboroshi (1995), Kore-eda was not responsible for the screenplay. The script was written by the successful Japanese television writer Yuji Sakamoto. Kore-eda described Sakamoto as the one writer he had always wanted to collaborate with but that he gave up thinking it would happen. Kore-eda said that he felt a sense of closeness with Sakamoto for their shared interest in the same motifs. He described feeling "both envy and in awe of his ability to develop a subject in such a tremendously interesting way." Sakamoto described Kore-eda as the "world's best screenwriter" and recalled looking up to him when the two filmmakers attended the same school and occasionally rubbed shoulders.[7]

Sakura Andō, Eita Nagayama and Yūko Tanaka were cast in the lead roles along with the two child actors Soya Kurokawa and Hinata Hiiragi.[8] The director had previously worked with Andō on Shoplifters. The two child actors were selected after repeated auditions. Kore-eda praised them for their shared on-camera chemistry, which contrasted the apparent differences in their facial appearances and personalities.[9]

The prolific filmmaker and best-selling author Genki Kawamura [ja] served as the film's lead producer.[10] Kawamura previously worked with Kore-eda in producing his Netflix series The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (2023). Kenji Yamada served alongside Kawamura as a producer. The production was financially supported by the companies Toho, Gaga Corporation, Fuji Television Network, AOI Pro and Kore-eda's company Bun-Buku.[11]

Filming[edit]

Filming took place at approximately 25 locations in the Suwa region of Nagano Prefecture (Suwa, Okaya, Fujimi and Shimosuwa), from 19 March to 12 May and 23 July to 13 August 2022. Approximately 700 local elementary school students participated as extras.[12][13][14][15] The former Suwa City Johoku Elementary School, which was used as a shooting location, was depicted as "Johoku Elementary School".[16]

Music[edit]

Ryuichi Sakamoto committed to produce music for the film. However, Sakamoto did not have the physical strength to accept the offer to create an entire score. At the direct request of the director, he submitted two piano pieces. He used songs from his 2023 album 12, and old songs to compose the whole. In a commentary, Sakamoto stated that the film deals with an "esoteric theme" and that it was difficult to discern who the eponymous "monster" was. According to Kore-eda, the collaboration with Sakamoto was a "longtime wish that finally came true". During filming and editing, he listened to Sakamoto's music in his hotel room.[17] Sakamoto died on 28 March 2023 after a long battle with cancer.[18]

Release[edit]

A teaser trailer was published in early January 2023.[19] A promo was shown in February 2023 at Berlinale's European Film Market.[11] Monster was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival,[20] where it had its world premiere on 17 May 2023.[21] It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Gala Presentation' section and was screened on 7 October 2023.[22]

In Japan, the film was released on 2 June 2023, co-distributed by Gaga Corporation and Toho.[23] Gaga has the distribution rights for the rest of Asia. Goodfellas will handle international sales excluding Asia.[24] Well Go USA Entertainment acquired the U.S. distribution rights and gave the film a limited theatrical release beginning 22 November 2023 in New York, followed by December 1 in Los Angeles, before expanding wide on 15 December.[25][26][27] Nathan Studios distributed the film in the Philippines and was theatrically released on 11 October 2023.[28][29]

Reception[edit]

Critical response[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Monster holds an approval rating of 96%, based on 131 critic reviews with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Gently devastating in its compassion, Monster is a masterpiece of shifting perspectives that surprises to the end."[30] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 81 out of 100 based on 34 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[31]

Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, deeming it "a film created with a great moral intelligence and humanity."[32] Vox's Alissa Wilkinson praised Kore-eda's mastery of directing children's performances.[33]

Accolades[edit]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Asia Pacific Screen Awards 3 November 2023 Best Youth Film Monster Nominated [34]
Asian Film Awards 10 March 2024 Best Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Won [35]
Best Screenplay Yuji Sakamoto Nominated
Best Production Design Keiko Mitsumatsu Nominated
Blue Ribbon Awards 8 February 2024 Best Film Monster Nominated [36]
Best Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Yūko Tanaka Nominated
Best Newcomer Sōya Kurokawa Won
Hinata Hiiragi Nominated
British Independent Film Awards 3 December 2023 Best International Independent Film Hirokazu Kore-eda, Yuji Sakamoto, Genki Kawamura, Kenji Yamada, Megumi Banse, Taichi Ito, and Hijiri Taguchi Nominated [37]
Cannes Film Festival 27 May 2023 Palme d'Or Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated [20]
Queer Palm Won [38]
Best Screenplay Yuji Sakamoto Won [39]
Chicago International Film Festival 22 October 2023 Gold Q-Hugo Monster Won [40]
Indiana Film Journalists Association 17 December 2023 Best Foreign Language Film Nominated [41]
Japan Academy Film Prize 8 March 2024 Best Film Nominated [42]
Best Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated
Best Film Editing Nominated
Best Actress Sakura Ando Won
Best Music Ryuichi Sakamoto Nominated
Best Cinematography Ryūto Kondō Nominated
Best Lighting Direction Eiji Oshita Nominated
Best Art Direction Keiko Mitsumatsu and Hyeon Seon-seo Nominated
Best Sound Recording Kazuhiko Tomita Nominated
Newcomer of the Year Sōya Kurokawa Won
Hinata Hiiragi Won
Mainichi Film Awards 14 February 2024 Best Film Monster Nominated [43]
Best Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated
Best Screenplay Yuji Sakamoto Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Yūko Tanaka Nominated
Best New Actor Sōya Kurokawa Nominated
Hinata Hiiragi Nominated
Best Cinematography Ryūto Kondō Nominated
Best Art Direction Keiko Mitsumatsu Nominated
Best Music Ryuichi Sakamoto Nominated
Best Sound Recording Kazuhiko Tomita Nominated
Munich Film Festival 1 July 2023 ARRI/OSRAM Award for Best Film Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated [44]
Nikkan Sports Film Awards 27 December 2023 Best Film Monster Nominated [45]
Best Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated
Best Actress Sakura Ando Nominated
Best Newcomer Hinata Hiiragi Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society 19 December 2023 Best Foreign Language Picture Monster Nominated [46]
San Sebastián International Film Festival 30 September 2023 Sebastiane Award Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated [47]
Seattle Film Critics Society Awards 8 January 2024 Best International Film Monster Nominated [48]
Best Youth Performance Sōya Kurokawa Nominated
Stockholm International Film Festival 17 November 2023 FIPRESCI Award Monster Won [49]
Sydney Film Festival 18 June 2023 Best Film Nominated [50]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Monster". Goodfellas. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  2. ^ "KAIBUTSU". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
  3. ^ "Monster (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  4. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (18 November 2022). "Hirokazu Kore-Eda's New Film 'Monster' Unveiled, As Gaga, Toho Set June 2023 Release". Deadline. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  5. ^ Booth, Ned (19 April 2023). "'Monster' Trailer: Hirokazu Kore-eda Returns To The Cannes Film Festival With His Latest Drama". The Playlist. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  6. ^ Rooney, David (17 May 2023). "'Monster' Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda Measures the Weight of Bullying on Childhood Friendship in Tender But Diffuse Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  7. ^ "監督・編集：是枝裕和 / 脚本：坂元裕二". Gaga.ne.jp. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  8. ^ Rosser, Michael (18 November 2022). "Hirokazu Kore-eda to return with 'Monster' as Gaga sets 2023 release". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  9. ^ "出演：安藤サクラ 永山瑛太 黒川想矢 柊木陽太 高畑充希 角田晃広 中村獅童 田中裕子". Gaga.ne.jp (in Japanese). 5 January 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  10. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (17 November 2022). "Hirokazu Kore-eda Reveals Next Film, 'Monster,' for 2023 Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  11. ^ a b Rosser, Michael (2 February 2023). "Wild Bunch, Gaga reunite on Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Monster' ahead of EFM". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  12. ^ "諏訪シネマズに是枝監督「怪物」 認定５作目". Nagano Nippo (in Japanese). 27 April 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  13. ^ "「怪物」公開 ロケ地・諏訪地方の劇場も活況". Nagano Nippo (in Japanese). 3 June 2023. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  14. ^ 滝沢隆史 (16 May 2023). "是枝監督が一目ぼれした諏訪湖を望む場所 カンヌ出品「怪物」を撮影". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  15. ^ 滝沢隆史 (14 March 2023). "是枝監督に聞いた「撮影に大切なこと」 先生は巨匠、小6に特別授業". The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  16. ^ "カンヌで高評価 映画「怪物」ロケ地・諏訪も期待 是枝監督と信州は"深い縁"「特別な場所」" (in Japanese). NBS. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  17. ^ "音楽：坂本龍一". Gaga.ne.jp. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  18. ^ Amorosi, A.D.; Saperstein, Pat (2 April 2023). "Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pioneering Electronic Musician and Oscar Winner for 'Last Emperor' Score, Dies at 71". Variety. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  19. ^ Booth, Ned (6 January 2023). "'Monster' Japanese Teaser Trailer: Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto & 'Shoplifter' Star Sakura Ando Join Hirokazu Kore-Eda's Upcoming Film". The Playlist. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  20. ^ a b "The films of the Official Selection 2023". Festival de Cannes. 13 April 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  21. ^ mraultpauillac (10 May 2023). "The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  22. ^ "The 28th Busan International Film Festival: Selection List". Busan International Film Festival. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  23. ^ Rosser, Michael (18 November 2022). "Hirokazu Kore-eda to return with 'Monster' as Gaga sets 2023 release". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  24. ^ Shackleton, Liz (1 February 2023). "Wild Bunch Int'l, Gaga To Handle Sales On Hirokazu Kore-Eda's 'Monster'". Deadline. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  25. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (31 May 2023). "Kore-eda Hirokazu's Cannes Prizewinning 'Monster' Lands U.S. Deal With Well Go USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  26. ^ Hipes, Patrick (4 October 2023). "Hirokazu Kore-Eda's Cannes Prizewinner 'Monster' Gets U.S. Release Date, Trailer From Well Go". Deadline. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
  27. ^ @wellgousa (14 November 2023). "#MONSTER opens in NY 11/22, LA 12/01, and in select theaters nationwide December 15" (Tweet). Retrieved 22 January 2024 – via Twitter.
  28. ^ Goodfellow, Melanie; Shackleton, Liz (7 June 2023). "Gaga Corp & Goodfellas Post Fresh Deals On Hirokazu Kore-Eda's Cannes Title 'Monster'". Deadline. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  29. ^ Nathan Studios (5 September 2023). "Monster ka ba?" [Are you a monster?]. Facebook. Meta Platforms, Inc. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  30. ^ "Monster". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  31. ^ "Monster". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  32. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (17 May 2023). "Monster review – Hirokazu Kore-eda's hydra of modern morals and manners". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  33. ^ Wilkinson, Alissa (28 May 2023). "The Cannes movies everyone will be talking about this year". Vox. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
  34. ^ Frater, Patrick (3 November 2023). "'Perfect Days' Wins Best Film at Asia Pacific Screen Awards as Japan, Korea, Kazakh Titles Dominate". Variety. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  35. ^ "Asian Film Awards; Korean Historical Drama '12.12: The Day' & Ryusuke Hamaguchi's 'Evil Does Not Exist' Lead Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  36. ^ "「エゴイスト」「月」が作品賞など最多5部門に選出 「第66回ブルーリボン賞」各部門候補決まる". Chunichi Sports. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  37. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2 November 2023). "Jodie Comer, Paul Mescal Score Nods as 'Rye Lane,' 'Scrapper', 'All of Us Strangers' Lead British Independent Film Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  38. ^ "Festival de Cannes 2023 - La Queer Palm au film japonais Monster". La Libre (in French). Belga. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  39. ^ Debruge, Peter (27 May 2023). "Cannes Awards: 'Anatomy of a Fall' Takes Palme d'Or, 'The Zone of Interest' and 'The Pot au Feu' Among Winners". Variety. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  40. ^ "59th Chicago International Film Festival Announces Award-Winners". Roger Ebert.com. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  41. ^ Rogers, Nick (12 December 2023). "Nominations Announced for the 2023 Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards". Midwest Film Journal. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  42. ^ "『第47回 日本アカデミー賞』受賞者・作品発表 授賞式司会は羽鳥慎一、岸井ゆきの【コメント全文】". Oricon. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  43. ^ "毎日映画コンクール 是枝裕和監督「怪物」が9部門ノミネート 阪本順治監督「せかいのおきく」は8部門". Sponichi. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  44. ^ Blaney, Martin (13 June 2023). "Filmfest München unveils 2023 competition titles". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  45. ^ "日刊スポーツ映画大賞は石井裕也監督「月」が最多5部門6ノミネート". eiga.com. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  46. ^ Anderson, Erik (15 December 2023). "San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) Nominations". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  47. ^ "The ninth Meeting of Ibero-American LGBTIQA+ Festivals will unite 16 events from Spain and Latin America". San Sebastián International Film Festival. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  48. ^ Neglia, Matt (3 January 2024). "The 2023 Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  49. ^ "Here are the winners at the Stockholm International Film Festival 2023!". Mynewsdesk (in Swedish). 17 November 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  50. ^ Frater, Patrick (9 May 2023). "Sydney Film Festival Unveils Bumper Lineup for 70th Edition". Variety. Retrieved 26 July 2023.

External links[edit]

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