Monster

The truth depends on who you ask in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s affecting new drama, a Rashomon-like tale of a troubling school incident that proves much less clear-cut than initially believed. Ando Sakura, who previously starred in the director’s acclaimed Shoplifters, plays Saori, a single mother who notices her son Minato (Kurokawa Soya) acting oddly. Could a recent school punishment be the cause? Why was Minato disciplined? And how is classmate Yori (Hiiragi Hinata) involved? This Cannes Film Festival screenplay winner offers a study of bullying and youthful yearning from different perspectives, each version providing not just new information but also illustrating how life can be confusing to both adults and children. The result is exceptionally moving, with delicate twists and turns accentuated by a gorgeous score from Oscar winner Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March at the age of seventy-one.