Monster

"If only some people can have it that's not happiness. That is just nonsense. Happiness is something anyone can have." This is hands down one of the best films I have seen this year and it's one of those rare movies which I had high expectations for and it delivered every single one. Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster is a coming-of-age psychological thriller film about a boy who starts to exhibit stranger behaviour with the source tracing back to school. I think it's one of those rare pieces that doesn't rely on any arthouse moves to make its point. It doesn't even rely on slow pacing. Because it doesn't need to. This film has one of the best narrative structures I have seen. The Rashomon-style narrative is adapted not to play the game of truths and lies rather as pieces of puzzle, with the best part being the genre shift that came with each of these. I think it's a hot take but the genre switch is up there with Parasite in terms of quality. None of the acts feel dragged out at any point, each crafted to perfection. And when you complete this puzzle and step back, you see an absolute masterpiece. This film is so rich in its themes of innocence, love, loss, assumptions, bullying, trust, friendships, and explores each theme with great care. The soft score, the beautiful cinematography as well the color grading really help push the rich narrative forward. The exploration of their relationship which moves towards a more romantic one without being overtly that was magnificiently done. Kore-eda really seems to master the art of subtlety. The film really reflected the vision of a person who understands the psych of the characters, in real life situations. However, what intrigued me the most was the ending, which is quite ambiguous. The ray of hope, really makes you think too... of a rebirth. Maybe it is heaven, they are reborn, free of constraints of the society. The gates of heaven and freedom, which previously remained closed... now open. Or even if they didn't die, maybe it is their reality. During the whole film, we see that reality is not often what it seems. None of the characters are wrong at their end, their only mistake being their instincts, circumstances or absence of power acting as hindrances to actual contribution. Hence, during the end, maybe it is the children's way of imagining the reality. It is their freedom. Again, we can just say whether they lived or died, that is our reality. Very in sync with the movie. Yes, I cried by the end. Now watch it. Emotional as well as heartbreaking. Watch it.