Monster is a Japanese drama film directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda and written by Yuji Sakamoto in 2023.
Saori Mugino (Sakura Ando) is the single mother of Minato, a boy who is in his last year of elementary school. He behaves strangely and gives her signs of being bullied at school, while not talking much. As she investigates, it seems that he is mistreated by his teacher, who is named Hori. Hori claims that Minato is a monster who bullies an other boy named Hoshikawa.
Like The Handmaiden, this film is divided in three parts that show mostly the same events, from different points of view. The first part shows Saori Mugino, worrying about her child, and struggling with the school's teachers reluctance to talk. The second part shows Hori's viewpoint (and why teachers won't talk to parents). And the third one shows what actually happens to Minato Mugino.
This film is dedicated to Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died two months before the film's release. This film features music pieces taken from his albums with two new pieces written for the film.
This film features examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Hoshikawa's father, who is single, seems to be an alcoholic. He thinks that whatever problems his son may have at school, are his son's fault, that he will discipline.
- Adults Are Useless: Teachers especially. Except for Hori they only care about the school's reputation, and don't seem to be interested in what happens to the kids. Hori, who does try, misunderstands everything most of the time.
- Ambiguous Ending: The ending can be taken two ways:
- Bittersweet Ending: Both Miinato and Hoshikawa survive the storm and landslide, and happily declare themselves reborn. Also Minato Mugino and Hoshikawa are both conscious that they are dating. However many problems are still there (such as Hoshikawa being abused by his father).
- Downer Ending: Minato and Hoshikawa die from the storm while in the railcar. Saori loses her son, her one remaining loved one. Hori has lost his reputation and will unlikely be able to teach again.
- Closet Key: Hoshikawa for Minato.
- Cure Your Gays: See Dehumanizing Insult.
- Dehumanizing Insult:
- Pig's brain. Hoshikawa's father says that his son has one, and claims that this is a mental disease that he has to get rid of.
- Monster. This is used all the time by teachers, about either kids or parents that cause problems to them.
- Disappeared Dad: Minato's father is dead by the events of the film.
- Go into the Light: In the aftermath of the storm, Minato and Hoshikawa leave the abandoned train car via the train tunnel, and run in the surrounding field. The deliberate contrast between the dark tunnel and the brightly lit field directly evoke this trope.
- Kids Are Cruel: A good number of Hoshikawa's male classmates bully him, including pushing him while he's walking, and stealing his shoes.
- Mama Bear: Saori, Minato's mother. She does her damndest to get answers for the abuse that Minato goes through in school. Later on, she braves a storm to find her son, even after a landslide.
- Parents as People:
- The Reveal: Several happen over time.
- Minato Mugino being abused is fake. All the damage he takes is either accidental of self-inflicted.
- Hori won't talk to Mugino's mother because the other teachers talked him out of doing that. They want to avoid any trouble, and think that a single mother will necessarily be very defensive.
- Minato Mugino acting strangely occurs first because he tries to help Hoshikawa, who is bullied at school, then because he is falling for him and can't deal with the idea of being gay. He can't say the truth and makes up lies, causing much trouble to Hori.
- Simultaneous Arcs: The film follows the three POVs of Saori, Hori, and Minato, over the same rough timeframe. Each story gives context and elucidates facts that the other two characters are not aware of.
- Taking the Heat: The elementary school principal's husband lied about causing their grandchild's death instead of her so that she may keep her position.
