From Japan to Malaysia by way of Vietnam, Asian filmmakers of disparate sensibilities triumphed at the recently-wrapped 76th Cannes Film Festival. The Palme d'Or may have gone to French filmmaker Justine Triet from her tense drama Anatomy Of A Fall, but six other awards handed out by the world's most influential film festival went to filmmakers from Asia, an unprecedented slate of recognition.
Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster may not impress all critics, but the nine-member jury led by Ruben Ostlund gave the film -- specifically to its screenwriter Yuji Sakamoto -- the Best Screenplay Award. Monster is a childhood drama told in three acts, each from a different point of view, and each slyly withholding and revealing bits of information which altogether construct a moving tragedy in the end. Kore-eda said in an interview that he didn't want the audience to pay attention to the "interesting three-part structure", but to the emotional impact of its totality. The film will open in Bangkok in July.
