Monster

This is a psychological drama that provides no easy answers. It uses the Rashomon effect to repeat scenes from different and often contradictory viewpoints.

It would take a hard heart not to be moved by the finale of Monster, and the whole film is a pleasure to watch if you have the patience. Afterwards, though, you might find yourself wondering if so many plot contrivances were really needed.

If there are monsters in the story, they're never the monsters that you think they are...

Does it matter that there is such ambiguity about the film’s ending? Perhaps not as much as you might expect...

... Clarity gradually arrives and the film, like all Kore-eda’s best work, submerges itself in heartfelt humanism and quiet understanding.

I have been known to throw a shoe at the screen when the plot device stops anyone uttering the few words that will clear everything up in one minute flat... But Kore-eda, who has films such as Shoplifters on his CV, can get away with it and does.

The Japanese filmmaker's latest is an incredibly moving examination of how far gossip can pull us away from the truth.

No matter what your expectations are, Monster is a film that takes them and slowly, meticulously peels them away.

The answer of the unsettling question comes through shifting perspectives in the beautifully edited film.

This is a simple story, told with a forensic and loving attention to the minutiae of human emotion and response. If you're in the mood to be swept off your feet in the most unlikely of ways, I reckon you'll love it.