What starts as a seemingly tense & mysteriously disturbing drama hinting at themes of bullying & child abuse quietly reveals itself to be a tender yet devastating portrait of human compassion & adolescent pains in this Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest. Employing a Rashomon-like approach for its story of shifting perspectives, Monster shows the same event from three different viewpoints to provide an insight into its young & vulnerable characters' blossoming intimacy and makes for a tender & touching work that's handled with gentleness. But the interest created by its first act is also where the picture peaks and then journeys down to a sensible conclusion that still leaves the audience with a feeling of incompleteness.
Review of Monster
