Monster, the newest film by one of Japan's finest contemporary directors, is, as always, another treat in the classic Kore-eda social drama style. Beautiful cinematography, wonderful performances by the ever-excellent Sakura Ando as well as the two younger leads, and, of course, a haunting soundtrack scored by the late, legendary Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Although I enjoyed the various themes the film brings forth, highlighting in particular the stifling work environment that prioritizes reputation and conflict avoidance, I felt the film was, however, less focused than Kore-eda's previous work and took too long to reach the core narrative of gender identity exploration and taboo, losing track particularly in the second act and with some superficial tangents that, in my opinion, distract rather contribute to the story's immersion and even steer into the melodramatic.