A deeply felt, structurally elegant mystery-drama that turns a school incident into a moving study of misunderstanding, shame, and the stories adults impose on children. It’s patient, emotionally precise, and ultimately more humane than its suspenseful setup suggests.
After an outburst at school involving her son, a concerned single mother demands answers, triggering a sequence of deepening suspicion and turmoil.
Director
Hirokazu Kore-eda
Cast
Sakura Ando, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi
Curator Review
Verdict
A deeply felt, structurally elegant mystery-drama that turns a school incident into a moving study of misunderstanding, shame, and the stories adults impose on children. It’s patient, emotionally precise, and ultimately more humane than its suspenseful setup suggests.
Best for
Viewers who like layered, Rashomon-style storytelling
Fans of intimate Japanese family dramas
People drawn to emotional mysteries over twist-heavy thrillers
Audiences interested in childhood, identity, and social pressure
Skip if
You want fast-paced thriller mechanics
You prefer clear-cut answers and a single reliable perspective
You dislike quiet, contemplative films
You’re looking for conventional crime or procedural stakes
Overview
Hirokazu Kore-eda builds a mystery out of misunderstanding, then slowly reveals that the real tension is not what happened, but how quickly adults decide they know. The film’s shifting perspectives are carefully arranged, but the emotional force comes from the children: their silences, gestures, and private logic feel painfully real.
Worth noting
What begins as a school complaint becomes a portrait of institutional failure, parental panic, and the fragile ways kids protect one another. The screenplay is precise without feeling mechanical, and the film keeps finding new shades of tenderness inside its uncertainty.
Bottom line
It’s a suspense film in structure, but a humanist drama in spirit. By the end, the title feels less like a label for one person than a question about how cruelty gets assigned, inherited, and misunderstood.
Top Letterboxd reviews
pabneruda (4★) · 16244 likes
they were just jealous because Hoshikawa had such immaculate fits
Jay (4★) · 11416 likes
like i feel bad for the kids but there is no way mr hori deserved all that
LEXI 🤍 (5★) · 11277 likes
"Who's the monster?" Is it the kids who think they're monsters because the world hinders them from accepting and understanding themselves? Or is it the world that makes them think that way? A word is without meaning unless we give one to it. If we instill a hurtful meaning into a kid's mind, it affects how they see the world and how they see themselves. Children must be protected, and not be neglected. Not everyone can be a parent, but… more
Karsten (4★) · 10484 likes
“our poop will go back in our butts” Best Screenplay Winner at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival
megan (4★) · 7251 likes
the brass instrument bit was genius I got chills
Themes
misunderstanding, childhood, parental anxiety, identity, social pressure, institutional failure, friendship, perspective and truth
Topics
Japanese drama, psychological mystery, slow-burn, family tension, coming-of-age, Rashomon-like structure, school setting, humanist, emotional, social realism