TRAILERS

Japanese Trailer for Hirokazu Kore-eda's Cannes 2023 Film 'Monster'

by Alex Billington
April 13, 2023
Source: YouTube

Toho in Japan has revealed a full-length official trailer for Monster, the latest film from prolific Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. He already won Palme d'Or a few years ago for Shoplifters, and premiered his Korean film Broker in Cannes last year, and is back at the festival again. This trailer dropped moments after the film was announced as a major premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, playing again in the competition. The story spun by Hirokazu Kore-eda this time is colored by the world-class music of Ryuichi Sakamoto (who sadly passed away recently). The film's cast features the talented Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, and Yuko Tanaka, who overwhelm the audience with their transformative performances, and rising stars Souya Kurokawa and Yota Hiiragi, who play the two boys with freshness and emotion, as well as Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Tsunoda, Shidou Nakamura. The Rashomon-esque story follows a boy at school, examining who a "monster" really is - told from three perspectives: the mother, the teacher, and the boy, revealing the ultimate truth. This is a strong trailer, an intriguing look at Kore-eda's evolution.

Here's the first official Japanese trailer (+ poster) for Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster, direct from YouTube:

What exactly is a "monster"? What do we see at the end of each character's search for the "monster"? Little Minato starts acting strange. His mother senses that something has gone wrong. When she discovers that a teacher is responsible for her son's behavior, she storms into the school in search of enlightenment. The story is told from the mother's, teacher's and child's point of view; the truth gradually emerges. Monster is directed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, of many great films including Maborosi, Without Memory, After Life, Distance, Nobody Knows, Still Walking, Air Doll, Like Father Like Son, Our Little Sister, After the Storm, The Third Murder, Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters, The Truth, and Broker just last year. The screenplay is written by Yûji Sakamoto (We Made a Beautiful Bouquet). This is premiering at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival playing in the Main Competition. It will then open in Japan starting on June 2nd, 2023. No other international dates are set yet - stay tuned for updates. First impression? Look good?

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