Monster: Movies are not Meant to Judge Others Spoilers

"Monster" tells a story about lies, prejudice, and self-identity that takes place on campus through a three-part structure. Currently, the film's reviews are polarized: some are deeply moved by the creator's gentle heart towards the weak, while others criticize it harshly, saying it lacks intensity, avoids important issues, and abandons Hirokazu Koreeda's usual strengths by drowning out daily life with coincidences. How should we understand these reviews?

Abstract Systems or the Evil of Specific Individuals?

Hirokazu Koreeda's early experience making documentaries for television laid the foundation for some of his fundamental ideas in his later career. In his book "Things I Think About While Making Films," he discusses the distinction between public and private deaths. While most media focus on the private aspects, such as the pain experienced by families in cases like suicides, due to their ratings appeal, Koreeda emphasizes the importance of examining the public and social dimensions of such incidents. He believes that even in criticism, it's essential to avoid personal attacks and instead maintain a broad perspective that considers the societal structures influencing individuals.

Koreeda's philosophy emphasizes the importance of questioning "completed social systems" because everyone lives within these systems. However, this approach has also drawn criticism. Some argue that in works like "Monster," while he targets abstract systems, he tends to overlook individual responsibility for evil actions. Critics suggest that he fails to recognize that systems are ultimately comprised of specific individuals.

Hirokazu Koreeda acknowledges the recurring absence of fathers in his works, but in this film, the mother, Saori, makes a concerted effort to maintain a sense of presence for Minato's deceased father. For instance, she buys cakes to celebrate his birthday and even instructs her son to narrate his life aloud to his late father, which is quite uncommon behavior. She imparts to her son the idea that "Daddy was a brave olive player," and stresses that she made a promise to the deceased to care for her son until he marries and starts his own family.

Although the father is dead, he still takes on the responsibility of educating Minato. Hirokazu Koreeda once said in "Things I Think About While Making Films" that the deceased holds a high position in the hearts of Japanese people, similar to gods in the West. "The dead are not gone forever, but they stand outside and criticize our lives, taking on the function of ethical norms." In the story of "Monster", the ethics regulated by the deceased father are stereotypical male temperament and heterosexual centrism.

Mother Saori's harm to Minato is invisible, and her will is carried out through her deceased husband. The clichés mentioned above may be her sincere thoughts revealed unintentionally, or perhaps she intentionally exerts pressure when she notices some subtle abnormalities in her son, but for Minato who has begun to doubt that he is a "monster", every word is enough to become the last straw that crushes him. When Minato sees Yori's call but cannot answer it in front of Saori, and hears his mother say those words filled with hidden meanings, he urgently says "I'm sorry, I can't be like my father" and then jumps out of the car, which is a self-destructive act of resistance.

Hori, the teacher, unwittingly reinforces hegemonic masculinity in his actions. During physical education classes, he instinctively motivates students by shouting "You are a man!" This phrase, along with his advice to "Settle it like men" when mediating conflicts, reflects an underlying promotion of physical competition and emotional suppression. These expressions, rooted in traditional masculinity, not only perpetuate misogyny but also deeply affect sensitive boys like Minato and Yori, who struggle to express their emotions. Despite Hori's sincerity and his role as a victim of deception in the film, his actions unintentionally contribute to the perpetuation of harmful gender norms.

Children like Minato and Yori face bullying at school and continue to endure discipline and violence at home. To protect themselves and each other, they also engage in harmful behavior towards others, such as falsely accusing Hori of mistreating students. It's possible that Yori started the hotel fire, although the consequences may not have been what he intended. Additionally, Minato himself is struggling with his identity. When classmates demand that he cut ties with Yori or be considered a monster like him, he reluctantly joins the bullies.

The principal, in an attempt to protect the school and possibly Minato and Yori, knowingly makes Hori take the blame despite his innocence. She gives Minato courage and confidence during critical moments, even inspiring Hori, but this does not negate her as a skilled Machiavellian who blurs moral boundaries when handling matters, proclaiming that "what happened is not important."

These characters either cater to the discrimination and stigmatization of queer individuals in male-dominated society or harm others in pursuit of their goals. Critics argue that these intentional or unintentional acts of harm are lightly addressed in the film, with all pure evil being attributed to Yori's father and the classmates who bully him. They bear the blame for the protagonists - “Monster” handles this deliberately by downplaying serious issues.

Movies are not Meant to Judge People

However, criticizing the system without criticizing individuals does not mean ignoring their evil deeds. Hirokazu Koreeda likely wants to achieve the effect of fully acknowledging the complexity behind an individual's wrongdoing and presenting this complexity to the audience for them to think about it themselves. This influence was shaped by his early experiences in television documentary filmmaking, where he was accustomed to maintaining distance from his subjects. Instead of intervening in their lives and engaging in moral criticism, he preferred to gaze, listen, and showcase from a distance.

A comparison can be made between "Monster" and "Nobody Knows," both of which feature children as protagonists. "Nobody Knows" is based on a true story, and when the incident came to light, the media heavily criticized the mother for abandoning her children. However, Hirokazu Koreeda had a unique perspective after reading the news: "The entire incident was indeed caused by the mother's irresponsibility, but it is also an undeniable fact that she raised the children on her own. If the mother were someone who would easily become hysterical and violently lash out at her children, wouldn't the eldest son have treated his younger sisters in the same way?"

From this, he speculates that there was a good period between the mother and child; from the perspective of the child, even if they were abandoned, the scenery in their eyes should not be just grey. During that time, they depended on each other, although materially poor, but felt rich because they had "the shared joys and sorrows of siblings". If this is true, outsiders have no right to easily criticize and say that they live in hell. Therefore, when asked at Cannes why there was no moral criticism of the characters in the film, even the mother who abandoned her child was not convicted, Hirokazu Koreeda replied: "Movies are not used to judge people."

In this way, some parts of "Monster" can be seen as a continuation of "Nobody Knows" nearly two decades ago. On one hand, Minato and Yori like each other, but their emotions are not accepted by those around them. They cannot openly express it among their classmates or admit it to the parents and teachers who care about them. They can only secretly perform in a utopia where nobody knows. On the other hand, the creative concept of "Nobody Knows", which is "not black and white contrast, but using gradually layered gray to narrate the world, without heroes or villains, just depicting our life in this relative value world", has also been inherited from "Monster".

The script for "Monster" was originally written by the award-winning screenwriter Yûji Sakamoto, but it was also modified by Hirokazu Koreeda to soften some of the more direct aspects and align with his perspective. The monsters in the film are not just the abstract concept of the system, but also each person who makes up that system. Everyone can be human or a monster, depending on the perspective, and no one is purely black or white: Minato and Yori's relationship is misunderstood, they are labeled as monsters, and even they doubt themselves; Hori's integrity is questioned, and he is also seen as a monster; the principal appears indifferent to the scandal, and is viewed as a monster by Saori and Hori.

Therefore, the issue is not who the monsters are, but rather the way people view them as such. Criticism of the system can certainly be directed at specific individuals, but individuals are complex. The harmful actions mentioned earlier may seem morally wrong, but they are attempts to protect what is important to each person. If the audience fails to recognize the complexity of human nature and simply sees a specific character as a "monster," then they become new perpetrators. The title "Monster" in "Monster" takes on multiple meanings.

Coincidences Appear, Daily Life Recedes

Another type of criticism of "Monster" may also be valid: it is filled with coincidences, has a calculated narrative that uses information gaps to create suspense for the audience, and repeatedly defies their expectations, which may come across as less sophisticated.

"Monster" uses three different narrative perspectives to tell the same story, similar to "Rashomon". While it follows a slightly chronological order, each segment builds upon the previous one, gradually revealing the truth in a clever and well-thought-out way. For example, in the first segment, Hori criticizes Saori by saying that such behavior is common in single-parent households, suggesting that Saori is overprotective and causing unnecessary conflict. This also creates negative perceptions of Hori among the audience. However, in the second segment, it is revealed that this viewpoint on single mothers being overprotective was not Hori's own opinion but rather something his girlfriend had said.

Throughout the film, there are numerous instances of foreshadowing, symbolism, and metaphor that add depth and complexity to the story. However, these elements are more in line with director Yûji Sakamoto's style than Hirokazu Koreeda's personal touch. In his book "Things I Think About While Making Films," Koreeda has expressed that the essence of his films lies in the ordinary aspects of everyday life rather than in extraordinary situations. This focus on the "ordinary" is a defining characteristic of his work. In this particular film, while the script has garnered critical acclaim and even won an award at Cannes last year, some feel that the sense of the "ordinary" and Koreeda's unique presence may have been somewhat overshadowed.

However, social responsibility remains a central element of Koreeda's creative approach. In an interview, he expressed his desire that viewers, after being moved by "Monster" and becoming aware of pertinent social issues, would actively work towards improving the rights and lives of minorities. The film's ability to foster understanding and support for minorities is perhaps what both admirers and critics find commendable about "Monster".