Review: What Happened to Monday?

Netflix's dark dystopian thriller confronts the contradictorary nature of humanity by exploring themes of betrayal and loyalty in a world which is supressing the most natural of instincts: to protect one's children or lineage. In a world where due to overpopulation siblings are outlawed, a family of seven identitical sisters (named after the days of the week) manage to live a singular external life, pretending to be one woman. The lead actress Noomi Rapace gives a truly incredible set of performances, imbuing each sister with truly individual mannerisms. While Willem Defoe gives a great turn as their grandfather, who trains them to survive in a world that seeks to remove six of them from the family. This is perhaps the most emotive aspect of the film, the nuances of close familial relationships are brilliantly portrayed and rarely delve into over sentimentality.Glenn Close also gives a standout and haunting performance as the politician driving the social eugenics programme- rounding up illegal siblings and churning out speeches about the selfishness of overpopulation and consumption. 

The film is visually stunning, the drab outside world is brilliantly hectic and manic- conveying the claustraphobic world of competition for space and resources that Earth faces. While the sister's home is as vibrant as their personalities, outside of the sterile enviroment of control the mis-en-scene bursts with little details that bring each sister to life. 

The one noticable flaw with this piece is the plot holes -- there were a couple of scenes where characters acted in completely unrealistic manners or the story seemed to gloss over important details. However, for a film that asks so many important questions about the battle between logic and heart we all face in life, the writer's Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson manage to tackle a number of delicate issues with unflinching panache. If you enjoyed films like Equilibrium and Gattaca despite similar flaws for their ambition of subject matter, this is definitely a film for you.