Monster (2023)

Societal critic supported by a strong cast and impressive storytelling: very deep and impactful!

A beautiful movie very impactful and that made a deep impression on me upon watching. The scenario is one of the strong point of the movie: it almost felt like a theatre play in several acts. Every question find an answer, every element showcased at one point of the script has an importance for the rest of the story... The film approaches some very important societal topics and provide a sound critic of Japanese society without being preachy and with a lot of subtlety.

The cast is really great: the characters are multi-faceted and the actors and actresses manage to provide plenty of nuances to their roles. There are a lot of angsty and emotional moments that are played with expertise for the adults parts and candor for the children parts.

The production value is good, I loved some of the decors as well as the editing which really enhanced the various storylines intertwined with each other. The soundtrack was not overly present but there are some critical scenes involving music with a very interesting set up.

I would strongly recommend this movie to people looking for a film providing a critic of Japanese society, discussing important topics and very well acted. The ending made a very strong impression on me...I will not spoil it but the message behind it really moved me deeply. There are some triggering aspects to the movie but it is not too graphic, a lot happens in subtext and is understood as the story unfolds itself. If you are looking for some fluff or slice-of-life movie, it is not the film for you. But if you are ready for some great and poignant storytelling, give it a shot!

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Who is the real monster here?

Jan. 20 2024

I have dont have the exact words to say but this is absolutely a stunning piece of literature. I love every single bits of it. Prepare your tissues cause you are gonna need it a lot. The emotional rollercoaster I had to face. The scenes of the two leads and their innocence. How cruelty of this world is the real monster and not those who love others in a way that is not the "norm". The feeling of disappointment and feeling outcasted. Wishing to just be normal so you can find love. Disappointing your loved ones because they cannot accept for who you are. Wishing to live in a world where you feel accepted and love. To not be hated by society and be frown upon.

Monster 2023 movie explains this well. Strong signs of symbolism are present in the movie. The ending is open for your interpretation. And for me, it is that they are free. Free to live. Free to choose. Free to be themselves.

It is truly agonizing to realize how many people are basically experiencing this themselves. I hope everyone receives that happy ending we all deserve. Even though, life is cruel and unfair.

The amount of tears I produced was insane.

I hope everyone gives Monster the love that it deserves !

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A Mother's Struggle For Her Son

“Monster” is an intriguing movie, told from the perspectives of 3 individuals, a single mother who is overprotective of her son and wants justice for him, a well-meaning teacher who finds himself in the middle of an almost impossible situation in which he is falsely accused of hitting a child, and a young boy who is coming to terms with himself and his feelings for a friend. Although not quite the psychological thriller one would expect, “Monster” does a great job in shifting our perspective, in as much as we are constantly being asked “who is the monster?”, while viewing the movie. We are not looking for a monster, but rather seeing victims of circumstances that we empathize with throughout the film and the question of who the monster is becomes the furthest from the audience’s concerns.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/04/03/monster-movie-review/

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So, who is the monster?

I actually watched this about 2 weeks ago, but I guess I just wanted to recollect my thoughts about this film before I could write the review because... woah, this was so interesting. Mesmerising. It made me think a LOT.

How this film unfolded the mystery through each character's perspective was so smart, and so well done. I just couldn't tell what was going on or what the main plot was at all, until it switched to Minato's perspective. At the beginning, we saw a single mother be just as confused as us viewers were-- what was her son doing? Why was he acting like that? What was going on with him? We felt her confusion, pain, struggle and then just as she was convinced that the teacher was the perpetrator, we were fully convinced too. If I were to speak further than her perspective, I'd be spoiling heavily because after that, everything blew my mind away. Nothing she thought were true. Frankly, I've never seen anything else quite like how this film is told.

The acting from all actors alike was brilliant. Passionate. I will never get how child actors can be such good actors at such a young age. They literally did just as well as the adult actors on the film, and to be this much talented already gives me the chills because wth am I doing with my life ?

Amazing film. It's the kind of movie you can't help but hold your breath in for the entire 2-hour runtime-- even if you feel like your head might explode at some point.

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The World is The True Monster

If there was one movie that I could choose to erase from my memory so that I could experience watching it for the first time again, it would be Monster. The way this movie told the story from different perspectives that would change our views and opinions was so smart and made the movie move so quickly. I was surprised by the acting, especially by Kurokawa Souya (Mugino Minato) considering his age, he perfectly portrayed the confusing feelings his character was going through. There was a specific point in the movie where I just started sobbing when I had this moment where I went "these characters are so young but already have to worry about what the world thinks of them," and didn't stop crying until the end. I am a pretty emotional person but nothing has had this much of an effect on me. Just a perfect movie.

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Who is the monster?

This has to be hands down my favorite watch of the year so far. I'm probably not even coherent enough to talk about this but the storytelling in this was just brilliant and I could not stop watching but I was also feeling every ounce of dread, anxiety and sadness that the characters went through.
Long story short: The storytelling in this is simply brilliant. Long story long: the plot unravels each point of view and fleshes out the characters in such a masterful and thoughtful way. I don't want to reveal too much because I think one brilliant part of this film is to experience it as you go; just watch it with no context and let the narrative and the suspense take you over.
The acting in this was also probably some of the best acting I've watched. I wish Jdramas were like this, honestly. The raw performances from the adult actors was so moving and encompassing. I could put myself in the mother's shoes almost perfectly. Feeling every ounce of anger and anxiety that she felt. But even more amazing is the performance of the little ones. They were too good. Too precise. Too touching. They just grab your heart, sueeze it then fling it into the sun!
The production is also brilliant from the fire scene to the torrential rains to the details of the mundane and arranging the different perspective of the same scenes over and over again. Everthing was brilliant.
Negatives: None. But if you have a weak heart, maybe keeping some sweet drink near you for possible fainting spells that may catch you unawares as you freak out over the turn of events.
I highly, highly recommend this film. It's one of those movies you don't want to miss.

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Just Beautiful

This is going to be a rant while simultaneously convincing you to watch this beautiful movie.
The movie at first is seemingly about a young boy named Minato who is being “bullied” by his homeroom teacher. The homeroom teacher is convinced the boy Minato is bullying his classmate Yori. We come to see different perspectives on different situations throughout the movie that truly just make your heart ache.
This movie is not only outstanding with the cinematography and breathtaking acting but the overall ending to the story.
At first you’re left with an “open-ended” feeling being to what was such a beautiful movie but to me there was nothing open ended about it.
To me the ending symbolized the end of suffering for both Minato and Yori for just being who they were as humans.
This movie does a great job at showing the subtle behavior of someone who is questioning their sexuality at such a young age.
I saw many people say they haven't watched it yet because “they’re children” and were afraid that this movie was grooming them.
First, if you’re worried about them being “groomed” then congratulations because you are part of the problem in the world with such negative lighting towards the queer community. What does it matter how old they are? If you think people don’t already know or experience their queerness before becoming an “adult” then maybe you should seek out more queer stories from the queer community.
People who clearly think other wise only watch queer films to further fetishize the gay community.
Overall I just can’t simply talk about how beautiful this movie was and will still be years to come.
You should watch it because it’s a 10/10.

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The acting!!!

This Drama is so well acted, it blew me away! Probably one of the best I’ve seen. The story/plot is a bit confusing at times. It’s the kind of drama that goes back and forth between current life and past life to build the story. It gives each character involved their point of view on the subject at hand. It is frustrating at times, but only because you want the truth to come out for everyone involved. This is a well written, directed, produced, and especially acted Drama. The child actors have a bright acting future ahead of them! I will absolutely watch this again. I’m sure when I do, I will pick up on things I missed the first time around. I especially liked the ending. When you watch it, you’ll know what I mean. I finished this Drama days ago, but it is still in my head. It’s that kind of Drama. I’m sure all you Drama lovers will know what I mean by that. Some stay with you, and some don’t.

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"you were always normal"

Monster is one of the most gut-wrenching movies ever. It follows two children, Minato and Hori, who form a close friendship. This is one the most important film I have ever watched. I cried so much after watching this, my tears couldn't stop. What the poor boys went through at such a young age, society telling them they can't be this, they can't love who they want without being happy. Watching this has made me hate society and how much pressure we put on children to act a certain way, not just children but people. We have to act a certain way to deem fit to society. Society is the one that created the monster and they impose rules on what we should do and who we should love. People who created this heteronormative society are the real monsters. The boys did nothing wrong yet society kept telling them they were sick, that they had a pig brain, that they were a monster. They told themselves they were monsters but they weren't, the real monsters were the bullies and hori's dad. I feel heartbroken after watching this. I just want the two boys to be happy and love who they want, I want to tell them that there's nothing wrong with them. That they aren't monsters. I hope watching this movie will encourage others to be accepting and to love each other without restraints. One of the greatest films I have ever watched, I'll never forget his.

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"If only some people can have it, that's not happiness. That's just nonsense."

How could a movie went from basic and boring mystery, into a heartwarming yet gut-wrenching coming-of-age story? ?

As bits by bits of the mystery gets unfolded through the lens of others, nothing is even more surprising than the third reenactment of the story, where we can finally get to know the truth, the full truth of all the mystery. The last few scenes were unapologetically gut-wrenching and saddening, and also was a typical "up to your interpretations" thing, but this film just made the perfect ending that let me crying at the final scene.

Let me be clear: some people on the internet have complained and trying to reclaim this is a friendship story, rather than a queer coming-of-age story. But I see it differently, your queer friends will see it differently, and thankfully a lot of you–cinephiles–see it differently. Maybe you should check your (queer) friends and I hope they will buy some time to tell you something different that I'd bet you never have to endure. It takes Monster to let us think again who's the true monster of it all.

P.s.: musical composition by Ryuichi Sakamoto feels like his final gift to us, rest in love.

Best Screenplay at 76th Cannes Film Festival (2023)

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