Belonging to a rebel group called “the Organization,” a ragtag band of child soldiers, brandishing guns and war names like Rambo, Wolf, Lady, and Bigfoot, occupies a derelict ruin atop a remote mountain where they train themselves, watch over a “conscripted” milk cow, and hold hostage a kidnapped American engineer, Doctora (Julianne Nicholson). But after an attack forces them to abandon their base, playtime is over for the motley young crew.
The visionary third feature of Alejandro Landes (Cocalero, Porfirio), Monos captivates us with its striking baroque aesthetic, otherworldly setting, and ingenious reframing of the war film—one that uses adolescence to insinuate a youthful but elusive dream of peace. With enthralling performances from Nicholson and a talented young ensemble led by Moises Arias, Landes constructs a stylized, deceptively surreal space that teeters between tedium and hedonism, made more unsettling by its disquieting soundscape and Mica Levi’s brilliant score. As they descend into a jungle, captors and captive alike find themselves in an increasingly anarchic, unhinged “nowhere world” that echoes Lord of the Flies and Apocalypse Now.
Alejandro Landes’ awe-inspiring third feature is a breathtaking survivalist saga set on a remote mountain in Latin America. The film tracks a young group of soldiers and rebels — bearing names like Rambo, Smurf, Bigfoot, Wolf and Boom-Boom — who keep watch over an American hostage, Doctora (Julianne Nicholson).
With a rapturous score by Mica Levi, director Alejandro Landes examines the chaos and absurdity of war from the unique perspective of adolescence, recalling ‘Lord of the Flies’ and ‘Beau Travail’ in a way that feels wholly original. Landes brings together a diverse young cast of both seasoned professionals and untrained neophytes and thrusts them into an unforgiving, irrational and often surreal environment where anything can happen — even peace.
Monos is a 2019 internationally co-produced war drama film directed by Alejandro Landes, written by Landes and Alexis Dos Santos and produced by Fernando Epstein, Santiago Zapata, Martin Solibakke, Cristina Landes and Landes himself. It stars Julianne Nicholson and Moisés Arias. The film follows a group of armed teenage guerillas assigned to watch over a hostage. This film was released in the United States on September 13, 2019 by Neon and Participant, receiving positive reviews from critics.
The film had its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on 26 January 2019, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award. It was selected as the official Colombian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards and the Goya Award for Best Iberoamerican Film at the 34th Goya Awards.
About the Story
On a remote Colombian mountaintop, the Monos, a group of teenage commandos identified only by their noms de guerre, perform military training exercises while watching over a prisoner of war referred to only as “Doctora.” They are visited by the Messenger, who oversees their drills and instructs them to push themselves harder. Two of the Monos, Lady and Wolf, request permission to enter a romantic relationship, which the Messenger authorizes. Before departing, he leaves the Monos in charge of a milk cow named Shakira.
Lady and Wolf consummate their relationship, an event the other commandos honor with celebratory gunfire, during which Shakira is inadvertently shot and killed by Dog. The Monos punish Dog by putting him in solitary confinement in a pit and then drag Shakira’s body to their camp to strip it for meat. Troop leader Wolf commits suicide. The Monos argue over how to report this to the Messenger via radio; they eventually lie to protect Dog, saying that Wolf killed Shakira and killed himself out of shame. With Wolf’s death, the Messenger appoints Bigfoot as head of the squad. Over the radio, the Organization’s commander asks Doctora questions from her family to confirm that she is alive.
The Monos’ base is attacked and Doctora is put under the watch of Swede, who informs her that she will be killed if the opposing forces try to rescue her. While they are alone together, Doctora appeals to Swede’s emotions to help her escape and the two embrace when the bunker in which they are hiding is shelled. Swede begins kissing Doctora, who throws her off; Swede then laughs at her.
The following day, Bigfoot announces that the Monos were triumphant in the fight and will be relocating to the jungle. Soon after their arrival, Doctora makes an escape. Bigfoot is enraged, damaging the radio and declaring the Monos independent of the unnamed Organization that they serve. After Doctora is recaptured, Bigfoot demands that Rambo chain the prisoner to a tree. Rambo does so but begins to cry, further angering Bigfoot.
The Messenger returns to check on the Monos and discovers that Lady and Bigfoot have begun a sexual relationship without approval. He forces the Monos to carry out strenuous exercises and confess to him about one another’s misdeeds. Smurf reveals that Dog is the one who killed Shakira and recounts what Bigfoot said about the Monos’ independence. The Messenger announces that he will be taking Bigfoot to be assessed by the Organization’s superiors. However, on the motorboat ride there, Bigfoot shoots the Messenger in the back and returns to the jungle camp. Smurf is tied to a tree as punishment for snitching and the Monos double down on their training, successfully robbing several passing motorists.
Monos (2019)
Directed by: Alejandro Landes
Starring: Sofia Buenaventura, Julian Giraldo, Karen Quintero, Laura Castrillón, Julianne Nicholson, Deiby Rueda, Paul Cubides, Wilson Salazar, Moises Arias, Valeria Diana Solomonoff
Screenplay by: Alejandro Landes
Production Design by: Daniela Schneider
Cinematography by: Jasper Wolf
Film Editing by: Ted Guard, Yorgos Mavropsaridis, Santiago Otheguy
Costume Design by: Johanna Buendia, Daniela Schneider
Art Direction by: Angela Leyton
Music by: Mica Levi
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language, some sexual content and drug use.
Distributed by: Neon
Release Date: September 13, 2019
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