What Happened on Monday is a 2017 dystopian science fiction thriller by Tommy Wirkola, known for his twisted action humor. The film furthers his reputation as a dark humorist, centered around the world’s deepest problems, such as overpopulation or a shortage in resources. Food shortages have caused citizens to conflict with their government over the right to bear children. The film’s premise was captivating and strayed from more generic takes on overpopulation, featuring Noomi Rapace portraying seven distinct sisters under the premise that ‘having siblings is illegal’.
Set in the year 2073, the Earth is suffering from a population crisis brought on by climate change and genetically modified food that inadvertently increases multiple births. In response, the world’s governments have adopted a strict one-child policy, enforced by the Child Allocation Bureau (CAB), led by the cold and authoritarian Nicolette Cayman (played by Glenn Close). Families with more than one child are told that their additional children will be cryogenically frozen and revived when the crisis is resolved—but the truth is far more sinister.
In this dystopia, a man acts as the guardian of septuplet sisters after his daughter dies during childbirth. A man named Terrence Settman (Willem Dafoe) is forced to become a guardian. In an act of rebellion, he names each girl after a day of the week and raises them in secret. The sisters must all assume a single public identity to survive. Thus, all of them claim the name ‘Karen Settman’ and take turns leaving the apartment only on the day matching their name. As individuals, they possess unique traits and perspectives of the world. But collectively, they function as one.
The story begins on Monday, when one of the septuplets heads off to “work.” This time, she doesn’t come back. Now, the remaining sisters, who go by Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, have to deal with the realization that they might be outed and one of them might be a traitor. A personal and social mystery begins to unfold in a riveting and tense action sequence.
As the sisters search for solutions, they happen to stumble upon layers of political deceit and ethical hypocrisy. The so-called cryogenic preservation of surplus children is in fact… a lie. Unregistered siblings are euthanized by the state. The deeper they dig, the greater the risk they put themselves in, resulting in violent confrontations, betrayal, and sacrifice.
In their endeavor to survive, the sisters face harrowing repercussions one after the other, and the distinction between self and survival starts to fade. Eventually, the film culminates towards a highly dramatic peak in which the remaining siblings are left with the life-altering decision of whether to continue concealing the truth or unmasking it for the world to see at the cost of everything.
Cast & Crew:
The soul of What Happened to Monday, Noomi Rapace, masterfully portrays all seven sisters: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Her captivating performance includes endowing each sibling with distinct qualities, including the over-achieving bookworm, Friday, the fiercely deviant, Saturday, and the cunning, Monday. The essence of the film relies on her ability to physically and emotionally portray each character distinctly.
Glenn Close as Nicolette Cayman, the one-child policy’s creator, brings to life the character’s chilling traits with uncompromising conviction. The woman to whom Cayman’s character is a tool of her own design means the world makes the woman so devoid of humanity that she becomes chilling. She delivers her lines with serpentine eloquence and a dominate silence.
Willem Dafoe as Terrence Settman, the sisters’ grandfather and protector, gives exquisite emotionality to his voiceovers of the sisters’ grandfather in flashback scenes. His role sets the emotional tone of the film by illustrating the enduring sacrifices made to protect family in a morally bankrupt world.
Marwan Kenzari plays a CAB officer, Adrian Knowles, who starts to date one of the sisters which drives the story forward and exposes cracks in the regime’s hold over everything.
Director Tommy Wirkola, who has stood out for the Dead Snow films and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, delivers a sharp and rhythmic energy to the tale. He balances explosive action sequences with emotionally charged character moments, which give a sense of humanity to the film’s absurd premise.
Screenplay by Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson sustains a balance which is scary yet achievable. The idea of seven siblings sharing a single body is not something that one would come across every day, and that’s precisely the reason why it enables the exploration of deeper questions like identity, sacrifice, and autonomy.
Visuals, Action and Style:
What Happened to Monday utilizes the futuristic citysurrounded with surveillance drones, biometric scanners, and overflowing slums remarkably. The color palette is often cold and neutral which, along with the high-tech prison, adds to the life-crushing nature of the regime, and the individuality of the society.
This film contains a number of tightly choreographed action sequences and particularly intense hand combative one on one fights that exploit the sisters’ distinctive qualities and talents. The visual effects which put together Noomi Rapace’s numerous characters into identical shots are stunningly seamless, especially during group interactions and emotional confrontations.
Each sister’s distinct appearance and behavior is accentuated by her costumes and by some acting choices, which are at times more restrained. These visual signposts allow the audience to quickly recognize each character, even though all of them are performed by the same actor.
Tracing the critical reception:
What Happened to Monday has a surprising audience score of 6.8 on IMDb, indicating somewhat positive reception. Noomi Rapace’s performance as the most praised aspect of the film received positive comments from critics and viewers alike. It was noted that it was both a technical and emotional triumph to sustain the story across seven different roles.
The film was also commended for its original narrative and high-concept premise. Although some critics argued the story relied on already-overused dystopian devices, other critics pointed out that it crafted a world with a dangerous and urgent feel.
While some critiques pointed out the quick pacing as a flaw alongside action scene overload, suggesting character and theme development was necessary, most viewers agreed the film works as an engaging and captivating thriller.
Conclusion:
What Happened to Monday is a captivating film showcasing a dystopian world brimming with action. It is fueled by its one-of-a-kind premise as well as Noomi Rapace’s breathtaking lead performance. The film dives into identity issues, state control, personal freedom, and family drama by combining elements of science fiction and social commentary.
The film focuses primarily on the darker themes of violence, however, at its core it displays the lengths people are willing to go through to protect their loved ones and the sacrifices that must be made to live authentically in a world that forces one to conform. With emotional and thought-provoking moments, the film portrays a future in which survival relies not only on hiding but on the choice of self-identity, delivering thrilling over-the-top action bound to satiate audience desires.
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