zoë rose bryant’s review published on Letterboxd:
Monos is a gorgeously grim and grueling cinematic experience, intensely directed by Alejandro Landes, who expertly cultivates a lawless atmosphere of nearly paralyzing intensity for the film’s 105 minute runtime.
Landes wastes no time enveloping viewers in the unforgiving environment of Colombia’s jungles, and he demonstrates a remarkable control of tone; when he seeks to a establish the grandeur of his setting, he utilizes whimsical wide shots to great effect, but as events escalate, his camerawork is centered far closer to his protagonists, capitalizing on the claustrophobic suspense of the story. He is greatly assisted by Jasper Wolf’s cinematography, which is both brilliantly beguiling and ravishingly repulsive, alternating between enchanting you with the miracles of Mother Nature and subsequently harshly exposing you to the repugnant realities of the natural world.
Julianne Nicholson and Moisés Arias stand out the most amongst an ensemble that’s quite excellent across-the-board. Nicholson portrays a hostage scientist that the core group of teenage “monos” (soldiers) are tasked with keeping an eye on. While we never learn much about her background or her personality, Nicholson lunges into the role with impressive, unrestrained vulnerability, exposing herself both emotionally and physically to illustrate the descent of an incredibly educated woman who starkly shifts to take on an animalistic and aggressive persona. In comparison, Aries plays the barbaric and belligerent “leader” of the “monos” whose unpredictable actions are responsible for much of the agonizing anxiety in the film’s second half. As mistakes are made and Monos starts to resemble the fallout of Lord of the Flies, each and every child actor gets a moment to shine and startle as well, with no one failing to leave an impression.
In the end, while I did enjoy the film overall, I felt that some of the more abstract/obscure moments of the plot diluted its impact a tad. I found myself wishing for a little less ambiguity when it came to the backgrounds of our core characters and what brought them together and led to the situation they were in. It seemed like there was a broader war-esque conflict taking place outside of the confines of this specific narrative, and I truly wished to see more of that story as well. Because Monos keeps its viewers at an arms length when it comes to explicit plot details, it’s hard to get emotionally attached to the characters or the unfolding insanity.
Nevertheless, Monos is undeniably a voracious visual delight, and the theater is truly designed to emphasize its anarchic ambiance. With continually engaging acting and an unbearable sense of uncertainty, it’s easy to get lost in the world of Monos, but you may find yourself wishing for more concrete and compelling explanations to the hysteria by the end.
