MMFF 2024 REVIEW: Topakk - Solid action from start to end

I miss this kind of action where you can feel the pain of every punch, kick, and blow. And the action and tension is evenly distributed throughout the film and they don't feel like a stageplay action but solid performance that should make me feel if it was real or not. Yet I do believe that they worked hard for those scenes.

Topakk is the only 2024 MMFF entry to have two ratings of R-16 and R-18 depending on the cinema, though the one I watched was the R-18 version but if I would rate it, it can pass as R-16 because it was not too gory unlike films of the same action genre. I guess the rating might be about the mental health problems of Miguel (Arjo) which would be his PTSD.

Though the story is anchored on the Drug trade  and the usual stories, they did make an effort to build up Miguel's story now as a security guard and his encounter with the siblings Weng (Julia) and Bogs (Kokoy). The action was chaotic yet good, though a little dark because of the location and time, still works and also add some thrill for those scenes.

Monster (怪物) - Finding The Unknown Things

When talking about Japanese monsters in general, we know them as bakemono (化け物), but there is also another term for monsters which is kaibutsu (怪物). Which makes me wonder about this 2023 film which also had its premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival.

Starring Sakura Andō, Eita Nagayama, Soya Kurokawa, Hinata Hiiragi, and Yūko Tanaka, initially it feels like a thriller or horror film because of its trailer. But I guess it was intended to redirect the expectation for the storyline which has a very interesting twist.

Initially, the story tells the complicated relationship between mother and child, classmates and their teacher, the school and back to their families. The problems arose with the changes in Minato (Sōya Kurokawa) was noticed by his mother, Saori (Sakura Andō) and this prompted her to investigate the involvement of his teacher Hori (Eita Nagayama) and classmate Hoshikawa (Hinata Hiiragi). Things gets more complicated as more secrets and atrocities are revealed.