Synopsis
What Happened to Monday is a dystopian science fiction thriller released in 2017 which interestingly narrates a tale in a future world which is plagued by overpopulation and famine and thus has led to brutal government control. In these heightened authoritarian regimes, the Child Allocation Bureau proscribes any form of polygamous reproduction. Additional children after the firstborn are assumed to, for all intents and purposes, be in a slumber and are routinely boarded by the state. This form of cryogenic freezing is done under the premise of when the world is ready for more life, the boarded individuals will be revived.
The monopoly of the narrative is centered around the seven identical sisters: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They managed to live incognito under the protection of their grandfather Terrence Settman after their mother died during childbirth. In order to protect their life, the sisters designed a strategy. They were each assigned one of the seven days of the week. Every one of them was provided a feminine identity by the name of Karen Settman. This identity construct is sophisticated enough to allow them a sheltered life outside their apartment.
In adulthood, the seven women pursue this routine with clockwork discipline, always under the risk of being outed, if not exonerated. Each sister possesses her own unique traits, yet they cooperate at the same time in order to maintain the façade of a solitary being to the outside world. Everything changes the moment Monday does not return home one night after work. Worried, the other sisters are at a loss as to what could have transpired, and over the course of time they embark on a perilous quest in order to find out.
In the course of their quest, the sisters come face to face with the long-avoided underbelly of their totalitarian society as secrets and treachery come to light. Each new piece of knowledge increases the perilousness of their situation and tests the limits of their loyalty, love, and trust toto one another. The more the primary one disappears, it seems that the more the remaining sisters draw closer to the denouement of the conflict. The conflict revolves around the perpendicularity of the world that the sisters have been navigating and the painfully harsh understanding of survival.
At its most basic level, What Happened to Monday balances on the hinge of a question. What did happen? While the answer to this question drives the mystery, it also serves to raise other questions: What does it mean to be free in a world like this?
Сast & Crew
What Happened to Monday is remarkable for the lead performance of Noomi Rapace, who manages to portray all seven sisters. Rapace’s performance is a masterclass in portraying multiple characters, where each sister has her individual quirks, gestures, and emotional arcs. All seven personalities are seamlessly crafted and each is distinctly identifiable and relatable due to Rapace’s effortless portrayal.
Willem Dafoe embodies the character of the sisters’ loving, resourceful grandfather who raises them in the shadows, Terrence Settman. Dafoe’s character is pivotal in laying the groundwork of the sisters’ lives, especially the mosaic of their shared identity, which they construct together. In this role, Dafoe balances warmth and intensity, revealing the protective burden and love that he carries for his granddaughters.
Nicolette Cayman, the Child Allocation Bureau’s commander, is portrayed by Glenn Close. Cayman is a powerful figure who believes in population control and is extremely fixated on the rationale. She embodies the regime’s face and justifies the extreme actions of the regime, by military-logic. Close’s performance is powerful and sophisticated, providing an antagonist who, despite her belief in her actions, is doing wrong for the survival of the race.
Tommy Wirkola’s unique combinations of genres is on display in their use of Seven Sisters, a tale about dystopia and survival, in a new film as of 2017, What Happened to Monday. With a smooth perspective, Wirkola is able to portray the complexity of the narrative through the eyes of all the sisters, ensuring there is no jarring division as their story is cut in and out of. The entire film remains engaging thanks to a meticulously layered story created by Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson.
What David José Montero’s exceptional experience in the film’s choreography. Visual cut outs of buildings are painted in dark, muted, constraining colors suggesting the lack of a from, drawing a surreal constriction, paralleling the sisters live all. Complementing the restraints, the work of Christian Wibe subtly composed the score of the film, guiding the suppressing and intimate movements of the sisters by the choice of silences and ruptures in the score.
IMDb Ratings
What Happened to Monday is rated 6.9 on IMDb, a score both audiences and critics are able to come to a general consensus for.
What critics focus more on, is the strong leading role of Noomi Rapace, who was praised for and the perceived innovation of the film. The ability to capture and depict 7 very different personalities molded into the story set a new standard of thinking. Character, story, and emotional complexity had all come together in a way the audience were able to relate to each, let alone all, of the sisters.
The film’s genre-blending capabilities were also appreciated, as it merged science fiction, thriller, and drama, all whilst maintaining focus. The theme of self and concept of self is treated thoughtfully, compelling the audience to think about the ethics of state control and self-determination.
Still, some critics said while the story is engaging, certain aspects of it seem to lack depth. The construction of the future society, for example, is vague, and some character’s choices feel illogical and hurried. However, the emotional stakes, thrilling plot, and strong performances of the characters compensate for the small issues in the story for most viewers.
Conclusion
What Happened to Monday is a compelling and intellectually challenging story that is unique in its concept and lead performance. The film sheds light on personal freedom and privacy that is frequently discussed, but approaches it from a fictional angle by examining the drastic change of society control.
Noomi Rapace’s performance for all seven sisters goes beyond technical feats as it touches on deeply human issues regarding identity, family, and loss. The supporting characters, in particular Willem Dafoe and Glenn Close, provide balance to the film by complicating emotion with ideological conflict.
Though the film has intensely exciting moments, it never loses sight of the characters and their paths. It’s about surviving, of course, but it’s also about the experience of being an individual in a society which expects on’s behavior to be uniform.
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