Director
Alejandro Landes

Starring
Sofia Buenaventura, Julián Giraldo, Karen Quintaro and Julianne Nicholson

Child soldiers, psychedelics, a hostage, a cow, power struggles, and a little bit of chaos, Alejandro Landes’ cinematic masterpiece could be set anywhere, in any time.

With echoes of Lord of the Flies and Apocalypse Now, this film follows a rag-tag bunch of armed teenagers: Rambo, Wolf, Lady, Swede, Smurf, Dog, Boom Boom and Bigfoot. This deeply tense thriller depicts a troubled society, cult dynamics and resentments that unfold in a military unit without proper leadership.

The film begins with blind-folded soccer in a mountainous, treeless, stark backdrop. The long takes, panning shots and exceptional sparse soundscape by Jonathan Glazer, add to the feelings of loneliness, isolation and separation. This setting is beautifully juxtaposed when the teenagers are shifted from the mountains to the jungle, where the enclosed canopies, sweat-beaded brows and dense tree growth create a feeling almost claustrophobic in nature, a feeling of being trapped and yet somehow, still cut off from the lifelines of civilisation.

It is in the jungle that any semblance of order descends into anarchic chaos. Hormonal, armed teenagers with a lack of guidance and a side helping of petulant defiance lead to brutal power struggles within the group. The film offers a strong argument for why teenagers should never be given guns.

As the film’s dialogue is minimal, visual imagery plays an integral part in telling the story of Monos. Landes utilises visual stylisation, silence, and light and shade beautifully to build suspense and tension for the viewer. The old idiom ‘a picture tells a thousand words’ is very true of this film. If you’re not a fan of subtitles, worry not, you won’t need to read too much.

What I found so deeply relevant and interesting about this film, is the importance of the group. Monos is about the group, no individual member more important than another. Throughout the film, certain characters are momentarily elevated, but there is never an emergence of a central character. This is true ensemble acting at its finest, with some stand out performances from the young group of actors, particularly Sofia Buenaventura (Rambo). This narrative comes at a timely moment in our own history as we are quickly learning how our individual actions can affect the lives of others.

I would recommend this film to anyone that enjoys sparse, slow-moving plot lines, stunning cinematography (Jasper Wolf) and soundscape soundtracks. Monos leaves a lot unexplained, allowing the viewer to create their own interpretations and understanding, something that I particularly enjoy but recognise, this might not be to everyone’s taste. It’s certainly not a film aimed at providing some light entertainment, but it does portray some interesting and timely themes around dysfunction, dystopia and power.

4 stars

Viewer Discretion
MA15+ (Strong violence)

Trailer
Monos

Moviedoc thanks Madman for providing the screener link to watch and review this film.

Monos is released in selected cinemas across Australia from June 22.

Review by Jemma Grace for Moviedoc

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