Monster: NZIFF Review

Kore-eda Hirokazu’s latest seems to start off down an intriguing road - with a simple story in mind.

Seemingly a tale about a teacher being abusive toward one of his students, Monster swiftly sets the scene as a dissenting parent speaks out at within the school and seems in danger of wrapping up proceedings early on.

But Kore-eda Hirokazu’s less interested in providing a neat resolution to the story, instead preferring to fracture and splinter the narrative in ways that prove to be more impressive and creative to divulge here. What emerges is a film that's sensitive and heartfelt, with the capacity to utterly emotionally destroy those watching.

What's most interesting about Monster is how the small intricate complexities of lives colliding with each other impact on all involved - both on the screen and watching it. Cleverly choosing to distort the narrative with the simplest of tricks proves to be overwhelmingly engaging as the story deepens and the emotional fragilities clash.

It's hard to deny Monster's power - and while it may feel lighter in delivery than the likes of Broker and Shoplifters, there's a real tragedy that unfolds here even if the final sequences pose questions of whether people are reborn.

Keenly shot, but only with the subtlest of changes of location as the viewpoints shift, Monster is a movie that not only commands your attention but also takes a hold of your emotions and finetunes them. It may frustrate that there are not quite the resolutions that are expected, but it's in this that Kore-eda Hirokazu gains his strengths - he's less interested in the neatly tied bow moments, and more keen on using the messiness of life and all its complexities to pierce the cynicism of an audience who feel they're already attuned to where this may go.