FILM
MONSTER
THE SHOPLIFTERS DIRECTOR RETURNS TO HIS NATIVE JAPAN
Schoolmates Eri (Hinata Hiiragi) and Minato (Sōya Kurokawa).
★★★★
OUT 15 MARCH / CERT 12A / 127 MINS
DIRECTOR Hirokazu Kore-eda
CAST Sakura Andō, Sōya Kurokawa, Eita Nagayama, Hinata Hiiragi
PLOT When 11-year-old Minato (Kurokawa) begins to act strangely, his mother Saori (Andō) demands answers from his school.
FOLLOWING CINEMATIC ADVENTURES in Paris (The Truth) and South Korea (Broker), Hirokazu Kore-eda returns to his homeland of Japan for another round of fractured families, isolation and loss. In essence, Monster is The Towering Inferno meets Rashomon meets Waterloo Road: the director spinning a compassionate tale from the point of view of a parent, then a teacher, then a pupil. It’s sometimes tough to follow but it is shot through with a gentle, generous spirit, lucid filmmaking and terrific performances, confirming Kore-eda as one of the best directors of children working today.