Who is the monster? A question that had the hundreds of cinephiles seated at the theatre in its grip. A question that Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster answers in three different ways at its recent screening at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. It is in the unraveling of the three answers that the 128-minute film really shines.

Throughout the runtime, one gets three possible monsters, but as the climax closes in, the question is raised again and this time it is for the audience to decide.

Disclaimer: Major spoilers ahead

Magic of perspectives in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster

The movie opens with Minato Mugino, who seems to be getting injuries he refuses to talk about. His mother, Saori Mugino, soon coaxes the truth out of him after he goes missing for hours, only to try jumping out of the car once found. Turns out, his math teacher, Michitoshi Hori, has been bullying him. What follows is a mother’s tussle with the school to ensure her son’s safety. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Undoubtedly, through Monster Kore-eda attempts to touch upon a supposed social taboo and how it often has a ripple effect on the lives of many. But what he truly ends up showcasing alongside is the reality of truth. Or rather, it makes you question what truth is and how factual the truths we believe in are. Because Monster gives you three truths and it is up to you to decide which one is the fact.

Saori’s perspective, which showed the math teacher as the monster, soon transitions into Michitoshi’s side of things. Through his eyes, the story unravels to show a bully (Minato) playing the victim and costing him his job and relationship. While you are still reeling from Michitoshi’s story, you get the third perspective that unveils the true monster.

Who is the real monster?

The final perspective Kore-eda gives us in Monster is from Minato, who was the catalyst of it all. It is here the crux of the movie unravels. We understand why Minato cut his hair (to deny the feelings blooming in him for his friend, Yori), why he threw a tantrum in the class, resulting in a bloody nose that implicated Michitoshi (to protect Yori from bullying indirectly), why Yori bore burn marks on his hand (from his father who punished him for liking boys), why Minato and Yori lied about their teacher’s behavior (to protect each other and themselves from the stigma).

From Minato’s perspective, we come full circle and to an understanding of the real monster. Ironically enough, there is no monster in the film’s world—at least it is not a living being. When you analyze why Yori’s father was abusive, why school bullies were mean to a supposed homosexual Yori, or why Minato desperately wanted to deny and hide his growing feelings, the cause of it all is clear: norms and expectations.

Societal expectations of heterosexuality drove Minato’s and Yori’s father’s actions, the expectation of a school and its principal having impeccable image drove the principal’s actions, and the expectations they have set for themselves as a mother and teacher drove Saori and Michitoshi’s actions.

Quick take

In the 21st century, we are more open to different sexualities and sexual preferences, at least on a surface level. But in many parts of the world, things are still very rigid, and Kore-eda shows the impact of this rigidness through Monster, where people lie and hurt (themselves and others) to avoid being a pariah.

Monster is set to get its US release, starting in New York on November 22, followed by Los Angeles in December before being available across the country.