UW Cinematheque | Monster (Kaibutsu) (2023)

A conflict between a misbehaving fifth-grader, his defensive mom, and his school’s bureaucracy threatens to boil over with tense accusations. But as the film twice doubles back to replay its central events through different characters’ perspectives, we come to see that the truth is far more complex than any individual can comprehend. Monster’s engaging, daring, and illuminating three-part structure fittingly won the Best Screenplay award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Featuring the final score by the iconic composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, Monster also marks master filmmaker’s Hirokazu Kore-eda’s first Japanese feature since winning the Palme d’Or for Shoplifters. Presented with the support of the Center for East Asian Studies at UW Madison. (MK)