What Happened To Monday? (2017) (film review).
In a future where families are allowed only one child, Terrance Settman, played by Willem Dafoe, finds himself the grandfather of seven siblings. Ingeniously, he names them after the days of the week and allows each to venture outside only on their designated day. Portrayed by actress Clara Read in their youth and Noomi Rapace as adults, they all live under the identity of Karen Settman, recording their daily activities for the others to emulate. They even manage to land jobs at a bank using this singular identity.
What the public doesn’t know is that excess children are not just frozen—they’re disposed of. Enter Nicolette Cayman, the stern head of the Child Allocation Bureau, portrayed by Glenn Close. She champions the One-Child Policy as a brutal but necessary means to combat overpopulation. Curiously, the film doesn’t touch on how this policy impacted gender balance, as was the case in China. When venturing out, the siblings wear an identifying wristband to pass through checkpoints and have their own unique way of tracking each other. All goes relatively smoothly until Monday disappears, and the sisters realise their cover’s blown. Cue the heart-stopping chases, near-misses, and fatalities. Best keep a scorecard; the plot is thicker than custard.
The film leaves some questions tantalisingly unanswered. For instance, what happened to their grandfather? How did one sibling manage to keep her activities a secret from the others despite constant monitoring? A palm computer could have easily replaced the wristband for identification. And how on Earth did they manage to bring home enough food for seven without arousing suspicion, not to mention disposing of the rubbish?
That said, this is a gripping tale that begs for multiple viewings to catch all its intricacies.
As for the extras, a 14-minute ‘Behind The Scenes’ featurette has cast and production members discussing the film’s journey from script to screen. Interestingly, the siblings were originally written as male characters. A 4-minute ‘B-Roll’ showcases the filming techniques used to feature Noomi Rapace in multiple roles. Both extras are in English, but there’s also a German-language version of ‘Behind The Scenes’ and the trailer.
Given that the film is already six years old, it’s baffling why an English release hasn’t materialised. Even this version, claiming to be German and Dutch, sneaks an English version in. A word of caution—avoid buying from that popular river-themed website; they have a knack for sending out the non-English editions, which is fine only if you’re fluent in German or French.
GF Willmetts
September 2023
(pub: Splendid Films. 1 DVD 203 minute film with extras. Price: varies)
cast: Noomi Rapace, Willam DeFoe, Glenn Close, Clara Read
check out website: www.splendid-films.com
