Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda is a Cannes Film Festival regular at this point, with five of his last nine features premiering on the Croisette. Moreover, Kore-eda’s film do well at the fest, too: 2013’s “Like Father, Like Son” won the Jury Prize that year, while “Shoplifters” won the coveted Palme d’Or in 2018. Last year’s “Broker” did well, too, winning the Ecumenical Jury Award and Song Kang-ho winning Best Actor.
In other words, it’s safe to assume that Kore-eda’s latest film, “Monster,” will be in the running for several awards at Cannes’ 76th edition next month. The new film marks the first time Kore-eda adapts someone else’s screenplay since his 1995 feature debut, “Maborosi.” But he teams up for “Monster” with a buzzy name in the Japanese TV industry, Yuji Sakamoto, who’s fresh off his 2021 film, ““I Fell In Love Like A Flower Bouquet.”
So what’s “Monster” about? The film follows a mother who confronts a teacher after her son’s behavior turns erratic. But what’s really going on between these three characters?
Here’s an official synopsis for “Monster”:
When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, the truth gradually emerges.
“Shoplifters” actress Sakura Ando returns to work again with Kore-eda, starring as Saori, Minato’s single mother. “Monster” also stars Nagayama Eita, Takahata Misuki, Kakuta Akihiro, Nakamura Shido, Tanaka Yuko, and child actors Soya Kurokawa and Hinataare Hiiragi.
Genki Kawamura and Kenji Yamada co-produce “Monster.” Production houses for the movie include Toho, Gaga Films, Fuji Television Network, AOI Pro, and Bun-Buku. It’s the second time Kore-Eda and Karamura work together, after the Netflix series “Makanai: Cooking For The Maiko House,” which premiered on the streamer earlier this year.
And another big name works on “Monster”: legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who recently passed away last month on March 28, pens the score for the film. A titan of the Japanese musical world, Sakamoto became the first Japanese winner at the Oscars for Best Original Score for 1987’s “The Last Emperor.” Other film scores by Sakamoto include 1983’s “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” 1990’s “The Sheltering Sky,” and 2015’s “The Revenant.”
If Hirokazu Kore-Eda wins the Palme d’Or again with “Monster” this year, he’ll join Shohei Imamura as the only other Japanese director to win the top prize at Cannes twice. And don’t bet against Kore-eda here: “Monster” will undoubtedly be another exceptional drama from the filmmaker. After its world premiere at Cannes, the film hits Japanese theaters on June 2; no word yet on its stateside release. Watch a trailer for “Monster” below.