← Back to Reviews
in
Monos, 2019
In the wilderness of Columbia, a group of child soldiers serving a group referred to only as "the Organization" watch over an American engineer they call Doctora (Julianne Nicholson) who has been taken hostage. As conflicts and relationships develop and implode within the group, they venture deep into the jungle where things slowly and steadily get out of hand.
Wowza. The kids are not alright.
A frequent refrain about this film has to do with it being Lord of the Flies-like. And I get that. You've got a group of adolescents basically making up their own rules, developing strange and often violent rituals among themselves.
But where this film deviates from that line is in the presence--and often lack thereof--of adults.
The ever-present adult is, of course, Doctora. Whatever authority she might have is frequently taken away as she suffers various abuses at the hands of the adolescents. In one particularly disturbing scene, Doctora and Swede (Laura Castrillón) cower in an underground bunker as the group--called Monos, meaning "monkeys"--is attacked. In a moment of compassion, Doctora holds Swede and tells her that they will be okay . . . only for Swede to begin kissing her. Wavering--because surely an ally would be a welcome thing--Doctora finally pushes Swede away, and the young woman laughs at her in derision. As the group gets deeper into the jungle, the cruelties toward Doctora mount, and we begin to understand that simply running away will not be an option for her.
Then there's the sometimes presence of Messenger (Wilson Salazar), a man who serves as the interface between the organization and the Monos. He puts the Monos through punishing, excessive physical "training", manipulates them into telling on each other for indiscretions, and is the arbiter of who gets to have sex with whom. These scenes serve to highlight the degree of brainwashing and abuse these kids have endured. Whether they initially joined by choice or were forced into serving as soldiers, they are all twisted up and enmeshed in the strange and violent hierarchies of the Organization.
The movie keeps the Monos in a precarious position where they are at once detestable and sympathetic. At what point do you write someone off and decide that they deserve what they get? The most sympathetic character is the sensitive Rambo (Sofía Buenaventura), who is either transgender or simply choosing to pass as male. But even the least sympathetic character, the violent Bigfoot (Moisés Arias ) is not without certain sympathies. In the final act, adults take two very different approaches to how they deal with certain teens who end up at their mercy.
It's also important to mention just how good this film looks. It has a dreamy/nightmarish and yet saturated look.
Highly recommended.
Monos, 2019
In the wilderness of Columbia, a group of child soldiers serving a group referred to only as "the Organization" watch over an American engineer they call Doctora (Julianne Nicholson) who has been taken hostage. As conflicts and relationships develop and implode within the group, they venture deep into the jungle where things slowly and steadily get out of hand.
Wowza. The kids are not alright.
A frequent refrain about this film has to do with it being Lord of the Flies-like. And I get that. You've got a group of adolescents basically making up their own rules, developing strange and often violent rituals among themselves.
But where this film deviates from that line is in the presence--and often lack thereof--of adults.
The ever-present adult is, of course, Doctora. Whatever authority she might have is frequently taken away as she suffers various abuses at the hands of the adolescents. In one particularly disturbing scene, Doctora and Swede (Laura Castrillón) cower in an underground bunker as the group--called Monos, meaning "monkeys"--is attacked. In a moment of compassion, Doctora holds Swede and tells her that they will be okay . . . only for Swede to begin kissing her. Wavering--because surely an ally would be a welcome thing--Doctora finally pushes Swede away, and the young woman laughs at her in derision. As the group gets deeper into the jungle, the cruelties toward Doctora mount, and we begin to understand that simply running away will not be an option for her.
Then there's the sometimes presence of Messenger (Wilson Salazar), a man who serves as the interface between the organization and the Monos. He puts the Monos through punishing, excessive physical "training", manipulates them into telling on each other for indiscretions, and is the arbiter of who gets to have sex with whom. These scenes serve to highlight the degree of brainwashing and abuse these kids have endured. Whether they initially joined by choice or were forced into serving as soldiers, they are all twisted up and enmeshed in the strange and violent hierarchies of the Organization.
The movie keeps the Monos in a precarious position where they are at once detestable and sympathetic. At what point do you write someone off and decide that they deserve what they get? The most sympathetic character is the sensitive Rambo (Sofía Buenaventura), who is either transgender or simply choosing to pass as male. But even the least sympathetic character, the violent Bigfoot (Moisés Arias ) is not without certain sympathies. In the final act, adults take two very different approaches to how they deal with certain teens who end up at their mercy.
It's also important to mention just how good this film looks. It has a dreamy/nightmarish and yet saturated look.
Highly recommended.