🎬 Overview
What Happened to Monday is a dystopian science fiction thriller released in 2017. The film was directed by Tommy Wirkola and starred Noomi Rapace, who undertook the formidable task of a multi-role performance. The screenplay, written by Max Botkin and Kerry Williamson, was originally conceived with male protagonists but later adapted for a female cast, leading to one of Rapace’s most impressive displays of acting range.
This film is set in a dark and overpopulated future, which comes with a lot of suffering. Families in this world have to deal with a harsh and rigid birth policy of only being able to give birth to a single child. In this dark world, a group of identical septuplets have to endure in a fragile group existence, and can only go outdoors on their named day. Their precarious system collapses when one of them is ‘lost’.
With a runtime of approximately 123 minutes, the film features intense action sequences that are masterfully combined with mystery, and examine identity and autonomy as well as systemic oppression.📘 Synopsis
In 2073, the world suffers from overpopulation and food scarcity, forcing governments to adopt extreme population control practices. The one-child policy is enforced rigorously by The Child Allocation Bureau, lead by Nicolette Cayman, who is played by Glenn Close. Children beyond the first are claimed by the government and put under cryogenic sleep—at least that is what the public is led to believe.
Terrence Settman, played by Willem Dafoe, raises his deceased daughter’s identical septuplet daughters in secret, defying the law. He names them after the days of the week and raises them to live as one person named Karen Settman. Each sister is permitted to leave only on their designated day and all must present as Karen in the public sphere. They share information at night to maintain the illusion.
Each sister is played by Noomi Rapace as the sisters age. They each take on distinct personalities and roles within the shared identity. The system breaks down when Monday fails to return home from work. Her disappearance triggers panic among the remaining sisters and compels them to unravel a perilous conspiracy.
The sisters uncover that the CAB’s ‘cryosleep’ program is way more sinister than anyone thought. Instead of preserving siblings, the bureau has been executing them to control population balance. The story unravels with espionage, assassination attempts, and devastating plot twists as the sisters are picked off one by one.
It comes to light that Monday turned in her sisters to the CAB in exchange for what she deemed a normal life—a protected secret of her own, which was that she was pregnant with twins. This Markle-esque betrayal not only leads to the deaths of several sisters but also brings about a tense standoff with Cayman.
Surviving sisters Thursday and Tuesday expose the CAB’s atrocities in the film’s climax. The regime falls, and the population control measures are lifted. Monday dies in childbirth, leaving her twins to navigate a world of boundless freedom, albeit shrouded in uncertainty.
👥 Cast & Characters
Noomi Rapace as The Settman Sisters: As the sisters, Rapace gives an astounding performance portraying seven different characters. Each sister has defining traits; Monday is ambitious, Thursday is assertive, Tuesday introspective, and so on. Using hair, clothing, posture, and voice, Rapace breathes life into all seven personalities.
Willem Dafoe as Terrence Settman: The sisters’ grandfather and protector, Dafoe’s role is pivotal in establishing the world-building and emotional underpinning of the film.
Glenn Close as Nicolette Cayman: Cayman is the cold and calculating antagonist who justifies her inhuman policies with moral rationalizations as the architect of the one-child policy.
Marwan Kenzari as Adrian Knowles: Adrian is a CAB security officer and the sisters’ conspiratorial love interest. As a romantic sub-plot, he adds emotional depth and assists in revealing the truth alongside the sisters.
🎥 Direction & Style
What Happened to Monday is set in a sleek, futuristic world that Tommy Wirkola, known for genre films like Dead Snow, directed with his own unique twist. The film oscillates between quieter domesticity and violence.
The cinematography conveys a sense of being watched and trapped. The sisters’ apartment, with its cramped composition and near darkness, stands in sharp contrast to the polished, dystopian exterior world, which embodies the sanitized facade of an authoritarian state.
One of the film’s greatest achievements is the seamless integration of visual effects and choreography that enables Rapace to portray all seven sisters in scenes together. These moments are not contrived; rather, they feel organic and fluid.
📚 Themes & Analysis
- Identity and Individuality
This film illustrates how identity is forged by both social context and personal choice. Although the sisters are genetically identical, they acquire disparate personalities shaped by their limited interactions with the world beyond. Echoing the humane struggle, they wish to be recognized and appreciated as individuals, rather than being homogenized into a collective identity.
- Freedom vs. Control
Cayman’s regime exemplifies the perennial conflict between freedom and its constraints. The one-child policy provides a measure of social order, but only at the expense of freedom and existence itself. The film highlights the danger of uninhibited governmental authority devoid of accountability.
- Sacrifice and Survival
Trust and unity are essential in the shared existence of the sisters, and each sister makes sacrifices for the group’s survival. However, Monday’s betrayal demonstrates how individual yearning can undermine collective aspirations, challenging the notion of sacrifice.
- Technological Ethics
The unchecked technological power of CAB is demonstrated through cryosleep deception, surveillance, and life and death control. CAB’s dominion over life and death illustrates how ideology can turn technology into an instrument of oppression.
🎭 Performances
The focus of the film is Noomi Rapace’s performance as she plays the center character. It is both physically and emotionally engaging for the viewer when she embodies seven distinct characters. She characterizes each sister so wonderfully that the audience forgets that they are all played by the same actress.
Glenn Close gives Cayman a more deep and morally gray character, which renders her as something more than just a villain, representing an extreme form of utilitarianism. As the sisters’ guardian, Willem Dafoe offers a quiet but powerful performance that humanizes the story.
📈 Reception
What Happened to Monday received positive reviews for the performance of Rapace and the movie’s original concept. Critics highlighted the ambition and the effective blending of genres. While some noted pacing issues and formulaic action elements, the film was widely appreciated for its emotional depth and world-building.
The film became popular particularly among followers of dystopian and high-concept thrillers and science fiction. As a Netflix original, it gained strong viewership worldwide.
🧭 Conclusion
What Happened to Monday is an exhilarating dystopian tale that examines themes of identity, survival, and resistance. Beneath the action, it is an inspiring tale about the power of family, the essence of personal identity, and the struggle for freedom against oppressive regimes—fueled by Noomi Rapace’s astonishing performance.
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