Monster

This film really said “POV: you judged too fast” and then gently rearranged my brain chemistry. First work of Hirokazu Kore-eda that I watched, it unfolds in this surreal, shifting POV structure that feels straight out of Rashomon’s playbook, but softer, sadder, more intimate. Every perspective recontextualizes the last, and you’re locked in, scanning every glance like it’s evidence in an emotional courtroom. The watery landscapes of Japan? Ethereal. The river, the rain, the stillness; nature quietly stitching these broken viewpoints together. And the two child actors? Absolutely devoured. No crumbs. Their performances feel so raw it’s almost invasive. Add Ryuichi Sakamoto’s mesmerizing, ghostlike score and a screenplay that might be one of the best of the modern era, and you’ve got cinema that demands patience and rewards empathy. That ending, arbitrary yet perfect, says more about you than the film. Interpret responsibly.