What Happened to Monday (2017)

Almost a month ago, Dell on Movies hosted Girl Week 2017 and kicked it off with his review of What Happened to Monday (you can read it here). I hadn't heard of the movie before but it sounded pretty interesting and I wanted to watch it. Then I found out it wasn't on Netflix Italy but that it would get a theatrical release instead. Thank goodness it was pretty close (November 30) and I didn't have to wait too long to see this pretty interesting dystopic film. 

It's set in 2073 where overpopulation is such a big issue, the government, headed by Nicolette Cayman (Glenn Close), opted for a one-child policy that sees younger siblings cryogenically frozen. There's, however, a set of identical septuples named after the days of the week, the Settman siblings (Noomi Rapace), who, thanks to their grandfather (Willem Dafoe), have evaded capture as each sibling plays her part in portraying Karen Settman, a fake identity they use outside of their apartment. But then one day Monday doesn't come home and...

... I'm going to shut up now because I feel like I've already given away too much. Anyway, the story is overall quite strong, it's pretty inventive and original, and it's so engaging and exciting, it keeps you glued to the screen. There are multiple plots twists, some more predictable than others (especially the end), and some holes here and there, but it's still pretty enjoyable thanks to the suspense and tension director Tommy Wirkola builds and delivers.

Netflix, SND Films, Vendôme Pictures

I'd like to go back to the plot holes for a second though, one in particular. What happened to Dafoe's character, the grandfather? We see him raising the siblings and doing his best to save their lives, but what happened to him? I assumed he died, but I would have loved seeing more of him because of the important role this man has in the siblings' lives. Their relationship is beautiful, and all he does to keep them safe is admirable and touching which is why in my opinion deserved more space. Dafoe's performance is great though.

But not as good as Noomi Rapace's. Her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Millenium trilogy amazed me, but what she does here is so much better. Each sibling has her own personality (they are rather thin characters though) and Rapace delivers them all, with some of course standing out more than others. I have to admit that at times I recognized which sibling was which thanks to the clothes they were wearing, but playing flawlessly and with such depth 7 different characters in the same film isn't easy.