VIFF mainstay Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters) returns, this time to take on the discussion of homophobia. The critique he offers is piercing and poignant. After decades of gems from the director, we’d expect nothing less. What’s fresh and provocative about his latest work—besides a beautiful final score from the late Ryuichi Sakamoto—are its twists and turns. At first, Monster appears to be the story of a boy named Minato (Soya Kurokawa) and the abuse he faces at the hands of his school teacher Mr. Hori (Eita Nagayama), but as the film explores the same events through different perspectives, notions of blame get scrambled in what might be described as a moral mystery tale. What makes him one of our greatest living directors is his ability to fuse elements that are often at odds in cinema. His work is both cerebral and deeply moving, both rich in characterization and marked by a sense of the unknowable. Best of all, like all the finest entertainers, the man knows how to challenge a wide audience without alienating it: Monster is as rewarding as it is complex.
Best Screenplay, Cannes 2023
Supported by
Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi, Mitsuki Takahata
Japan
2023
Special Presentations
In Japanese with English subtitles
Gender or Sexual Discrimination
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Executive Producer
Minami Ichikawa, Toru Oota, Tom Yoda, Hajime Ushioda, Hirokazu Kore-eda
Producer
Minami Ichikawa, Genki Kawamura, Ryo Ota, Kiyoshi Taguchi, Hajime Ushioda, Kenji Yamada, Tatsumi Yoda
Screenwriter
Yûji Sakamoto
Cinematography
Ryuto Kondo
Editor
Hirokazu Kore-eda
Production Design
Keiko Mitsumatsu
Original Music
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Director
Photo by Tamotsu Fujii
Hirokazu Kore-eda
Hirokazu Kore-eda was born in 1962 in Tokyo, Japan. Before pursuing film, He had originally intended to become a novelist. His directorial debut, Maborosi (1995) won the 52nd Venice International Film Festival’s Golden Osellam and he has been a fixture at international film festivals ever since, producing a string of gentle humanist films marked by their compassion and grace.
Filmography: Maborosi (1995); Still Walking (2008); Like Father, Like Son (2013); Shoplifters (2018); Broker (2022)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Nagi Notes
This graceful, serene drama brings former sisters-in-law together in an exploration of art, sexuality, and psychology. There’s a complex backstory here, but not a hint of melodrama: writer-director Koji Fukada is a master of subtle revelation.
Image: © 2026 Nagi Notes Partners (Star SandsHassaku LabsWonderstruck) Survivance Momo Film Co.
A Safe Distance
Following a camping trip gone awry, a woman is rescued by a free-spirited couple living off the grid. As she warms to the pair, she finds herself becoming dangerously entangled in their psychosexual affairs in Gloria Mercer’s red-hot crime drama.
We Are All Strangers
Anthony Chen tells the soulful story of a father and son in contemporary Singapore, each of whom gets married for very different reasons. This is a film about the human cost of poverty — poignant, relatable, and profound.