This film I believe is intended to be watched without spoiling or going into what it is about in depth. Take in all the promotional on the surface and you will get the full viewing experience. I say this because of the promotional materials that lead you in one direction, take it in that direction at first and then go in depth.. which is what I did. So spoilers.

I definitely did not get what I bargained for when I decided to watch this movie. I watched the trailer, read the synopsis, saw the poster, and thought I would get a good scare out of this one. The ratings and reviews are well enough that I thought it would be perplexing, a psychological horror.

The first two-thirds of the movies had me, but in the back of my mind, the answer to the allure and mysterious tones was pretty simple and clear. To put it simply, this movie isn't a slasher or a horror. It is a coming of age queer film beneath two layers.

There are three acts to this movie after the initial setup. With the synopsis, firstly you have a story of a single mother who cares deeply for her child, a devoted and misunderstood teacher, and two kids that have the answers to the overall premise of the film. Minato is the child of the single-mother and is being abused as school, by either a teacher, or something else is at play.... so that is what I thought. I thought there could be anything, even a fifth element that added supernatural. This film was anything but, it was so real and thought-provoking, and in the end I found so many details that clearly show what was really going on the whole entire time.

The third act shows the perspective of Minato, and slowly it shows that instead of an abused boy, you find a boy that is scared of his blossoming but very real feelings for a student of his that was shown to be connected to this mystery within the school. There was no abusive teacher or secret being held by the higher ups, there was a boy who was scared of his feelings, and enough to think of himself as a monster. So in the end he made a lie. This film weaves together several elements to knit it into one final conclusion. Instead of going on about that I'll point out a few details that show how brilliant this film really is.

I must say, I was hesitant to conclude that this film involves two boys that like eachtother, but by the end and looking into the screenplay and its intent, I realize that was the point. Minato was just as scared as his feelings and it brings the question as to why it is seems as sexual when it is innocent love between two people that are the same gender. There is an innocence with Minato and him coming to terms with his feelings for Yori, and it's heartbreaking to witness how scared he really is of them.

You can see this through dialogue, and specifically with scenes where Minato says he is shifting into a monster, and where he is in the MRI scanner, truly scared that it will read his mind and his mom will be aware of his developing feelings. Why is he so scared thought? Yori is why he is scared, he is constantly tormented for his behaviors that don't suggest he likes a girl, he is abused by his father and told he has a pigs brain. Yori's father would rather he act out and be bad, than be an obedient child who is good at school. There is this whole spectrum of what a boy acts like and what they shouldn't.

What got to me was the part where the two boys find a safe space together, and I started thinking about their feelings for eachtoerh when Yori got too close to Minato. Although in the end Minato never wanted Yori to go anywhere, and what was cool are the little details. Minato goes back to the empty safe haven and texts Yori, where Yori says he won't go back because he wants to touch Minato, in the ways where he patted his hair or hugged him, but Minato says he wouldn't mind. I love how the ending doesn't have them fear, and instead they get past the gates of the railroad and are happy and free... there's just a lot to talk about with this one.

it seems that this topic is a taboo and that's why I didn't see it at first, but that is the point behind this film. To have you question why it is seen that way, and why you view an innocent feeling and curiosity as sexual or not normal. There is no romanization between them, the director and screenplay had the intent to share a story of two boys that grew to love eachother and coming to accept in regardless of the heteronormative society they were placed in. Any opposition to that shows the point of the film again and societies failure to accept it.


Below I'l several links that goes over all the details of this film I couldn't go over.


https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueFilm/comments/1761z26/little_details_in_koreedas_monsterkaibutsu_2023/?rdt=39846

https://x.com/wyvernhood/status/1745418419368055276?s=46&t=hWWeyWA1Y9kwJqIT_KVSaw

https://x.com/korokketto/status/1745376701188825596?s=46&t=hWWeyWA1Y9kwJqIT_KVSaw

https://x.com/haeinfleur/status/1744727092586246244?s=46&t=hWWeyWA1Y9kwJqIT_KVSaw