FILM REVIEW: "Monster" is a delicately elegant, extremely meticulous exploration of love and fear

Monster (directed by Hirokazu Koreeda) is not an easy film. It is unexpected. Simply put, it expects a lot of faith from the audience. It is two hours in length, but feels like three, due to frequently doubling back over key moments in the film to expand and explain the enigmatic narrative. This was initially my biggest gripe while watching. It seemed an antiquated method in an otherwise highly contemporary film. Slightly jarring, the constant authorial redirection built a certain distance between myself and the story. But then, in this strange state of broken immersion, this distance began to show its purpose.

It is a measurement of the degree to which the viewer Humanises and dehumanises characters based on what they’ve seen of each motive. It is the measure of validity we assign to those we don’t understand. With so much room for thought, and by watching myself watch the film and watching the film explore the inner secrets of each character, I found a highly novel experience travelling along a well-trodden path. Highly impressed (and unsure if I’d gotten the point), I watched as the film surgically extracted this dissolving distance and held it before me. By meeting each character at specific moments, and then re-meeting them with the knowledge of their motive, the film attempts to demonstrate that the real ‘Monster’ is the fear of others that we create as a safety mechanism. The characters do it, and by drip-feeding the truth, the audience partakes in the same process. This is not the first time this idea has been explored cinematically, but it is certainly the most precise exploration of this phenomenon I’ve seen.

Clues trickle through in subtle lines, movements, and responses, and each time another character appears, their respective journey seems to make no sense until understood from beginning to end. Albeit a little tedious, it’s superbly executed, and becomes reliably engaging. Then, in the third act, the focus on the retelling of one protagonist’s angle expands and consumes the focus of the film. All other characters then take a backseat all the way to the conclusion of the film, no matter how told or untold their own arcs remain. From this same point, the whole structure of the film changes – no more doubling back, no elongated explanations of the character’s perspective – and the remainder is a straight shot through to an ambiguous, slightly abstract ending.

It is a film about misunderstanding and carries an important lesson about acceptance coming from a traditionally conservative nation; the monstrous sacrifices we make to be understood by those who don’t care about us as well as those who do. As explained, this is not an easy film, nor is it a light film.

Technically, the film is clean, consistent, and pervasively trademarked by the Japanese context. It’s a beautiful, strikingly foreign film in an industry homogenised by Hollywood. The soundtrack is minimal and elegant. Upon rewatching, there might be more time to appreciate the skylines, the incredibly compelling attention to detail and the play of light in the city and the forest, but it is the film’s story that commands all attention.

That being said, I did find myself checking my watch and coming away with the impression that the story might be far better suited to an episodic format. This makes sense, as writer Yuji Sakamoto primarily works in TV.

Monster is one to catch if you love a thriller or if you’re looking for a masterclass in intricate character relationships.

3.5 out of 5 stars

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Monster is currently screening at UWA Somerville Theatre from Mon 5 – Sun 11 Feb as part of Perth Festival’s 2024 Lotterywest Film season. Click here for tickets.