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The film opens with a high-rise on fire, with smoke and sirens saturating the night. It's a freak occurrence that becomes the talk of the town: what kind of monster would do such a thing?

Meanwhile, single mum Saori Mugino (Sakura Andō) has bigger things to worry about. Her son, Minato (Sōya Kurokawa), has been acting strangely. His behaviour has become increasingly withdrawn and unpredictable, a change perhaps brought on by bullying at school. When Saori discovers that Minato's teacher, Mr Hori (Eita Nagayama), may have been responsible, she takes matters into her own hands, desperate to uncover the truth and seek retribution from the powers that be.

Where Kore-eda's previous two films, The Truth and Broker, had the director working in France and Korea, here he returns to his home turf, continuing his long line of incisive dramas that explore everyday lives within the confines and constructs of modern Japanese society.

Notably, though, Monster is Kore-eda's first feature film since his debut, Maborosi, in 1995, that he hasn't written himself. This time, he has collaborated closely with screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto, a prolific writer who has enjoyed a new level of international acclaim for his deftly structured, multi-layered script – including the Best Screenplay prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival.

The tower fire and alleged bullying act as a fulcrum around which the film turns, as we follow the story from three distinct viewpoints: first the mother's, then the accused teacher's, and then, finally, the son's. Just when we think we have a handle on the truth of the matter, the story resets and reframes, presenting a different angle that complicates and deepens the drama and brings us closer to previously inscrutable characters.

This mode of storytelling brings to mind Rashomon, the international breakout film from Japanese legend Akira Kurosawa. However, where that film offered conflicting testimonies on the same events as a way of depicting an ultimately elusive truth, Monster takes a more resonant route, reflecting on how rumour, prejudice and social norms act as invisible forces that isolate and divide. It's yet another work of wisdom and compassion from one of the world's most thoughtful filmmakers.

Adding to an atmosphere that is both enigmatic and empathetic are the spare soundscapes of the late Ryuichi Sakamoto's score, which mixes lush synthesizers with fragile, tentative piano melodies. The pioneering musician passed away mere weeks before the film's Cannes premiere, and this soundtrack contains some of his final compositions.

Elsewhere, Ryûto Kondô returns as cinematographer, following collaborations with Kore-eda on Shoplifters and his delightful Netflix TV series, The Makanai: Cooking For The Maiko House. As ever, Kore-eda and Kondô find compelling poetry in the everyday, imbuing Monster with rich, vibrant and intimate imagery that immerses you deeper into the personal worlds of the characters.

As this powerful, poignant, ultimately optimistic film unfurls, its overlapping mysteries reveal a tender relationship at its core, one that flourishes far away from the prying eyes of classmates and adults, daring to dream of a new world free of shame. The old world is a monster we're all complicit in creating.   Michael Leader

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