Monos
2019, Mystery & thriller/Adventure, 1h 42m
151 Reviews Fewer than 50 Verified RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
As visually splendid as it is thought-provoking, Monos takes an unsettling look at human nature whose grim insights leave a lingering impact. Read critic reviews
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Where to watch
Monos Videos
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Movie Info
A terrorized American engineer is held captive by teenaged guerilla bandits in a South American jungle.
Cast & Crew
Julianne Nicholson
Doctora Sara Watson
Doctora Sara Watson
Moises Arias
Patagrande -- Bigfoot
Patagrande -- Bigfoot
Sofia Buenaventura
Rambo
Rambo
Julián Giraldo
Lobo -- Wolf
Lobo -- Wolf
Karen Quintero
Leidi -- Lady
Leidi -- Lady
Laura Castrillón
Sueca -- Swede
Sueca -- Swede
Critic Reviews for Monos
Audience Reviews for Monos
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Jan 25, 2020This year's equivalent to EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT is an auditory and visual hallucination of child soldiers somewhere in the Colombian jungle. The elliptical method of storytelling is strong with this one, and we aren't really given much context for why there are child soldiers out in the jungle holding an American doctor as prisoner, but the overt references to "Lord of the Flies" and "Heart of Darkness" make it fairly apparent there's some sort of war going on. Ascertaining who with or why purposfully frustrates the viewer, so we are left to focus on the characters themselves and their actions. There's a whole lot of intended metaphorical substance behind this sensory experience to do with the self-socialization and with Latin American history in general, but I'll let you sift through that yourself since I'm still unpacking it as well. Perhaps even more enticing than the gorgeous visuals, chaotic beauty of the mountainous jungle, and skin crawling body fascination from all the mud and fire is the method of casting development they started months before shooting. Evidently they took about 20-30 Colombian kids to location and set up camp. They received acting lessons and military training each day until they were whittled down "Survivor"-style to the core cast of eight. Their methodized acting translates impeccably well to the screen as, aside from the artifice of presentation, it's somewhere between Come and See and a "Kony 2012" documentary. Add on Mica Levi's (UNDER THE SKIN, JACKIE, MARJORIE PRIME) minimalist score to the fracas and it is nothing short of a psychedelic experience. Also, it's a compelling commentary on the desperate scenarios that fuel the global migrant crisis, if you're into that sort of thing.Steve L Super Reviewer
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