What Happened to Monday (2017)

Movie · 2017 · Science Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Action · 2h 3m · R · English

Curator score: 1.4/10 (150K ratings)

Seven sisters. One identity.

Overview

In a world where families are limited to one child due to overpopulation, a set of identical septuplets must avoid being put to a long sleep by the government and dangerous infighting while investigating the disappearance of one of their own.

Ratings

Director

Tommy Wirkola

Production

SND, Raffaella De Laurentiis Productions, Nexus Factory, uMedia, uFund, Vendôme Production

Cast

Noomi Rapace, Glenn Close, Willem Dafoe, Marwan Kenzari, Christian Rubeck, Pål Sverre Hagen, Tomiwa Edun, Cassie Clare, Cameron Jack, Clara Read, Kirsty Averton, Robert Wagner, Vegar Hoel, Madalin Dragan, Stig Frode Henriksen, Daniel Berge Halvorsen, Jeppe Beck Laursen, Marie Everett, Lara Decaro, Elijah Ungvary

Where to watch

Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

Curator Review

Verdict

A high-concept sci-fi thriller with a strong central performance and some genuinely fun action, but the script is uneven and the worldbuilding often feels thinner than the premise deserves. It works best as a pulpy, fast-moving genre piece rather than a fully satisfying mystery.

Best for

  • Viewers who enjoy dystopian near-future premises
  • Fans of actor-driven genre movies with multiple character performances
  • People looking for slick action and a strong lead turn
  • Audiences who can forgive clunky plotting for a cool concept

Skip if

  • You want airtight logic and deep worldbuilding
  • You’re allergic to familiar dystopian tropes
  • You prefer subtle, character-first science fiction
  • You want a mystery that fully pays off its setup

Overview

What Happened to Monday has the kind of premise that practically sells itself: a future where one family’s septuplets must hide in plain sight under a brutal one-child regime. The movie gets immediate mileage out of that hook, and Noomi Rapace does the heavy lifting of making seven distinct personalities feel like a real ensemble rather than a gimmick.

Worth noting

The problem is that the film often rushes past the most interesting ideas in favor of familiar chase beats and exposition. It has flashes of tension, a few sharp action sequences, and enough visual invention to keep the concept alive, but the writing doesn’t always support the scale of the premise.

Bottom line

As a piece of dystopian pulp, though, it’s easy to see the appeal. If you want a sleek, grimy sci-fi thriller with a committed lead performance and a few memorable set pieces, it delivers enough to justify the ride, even if it never quite becomes the movie it could have been.

Top Letterboxd reviews

olivia 🌷 (1.5★) · 3338 likes

don’t ✍️ trust ✍️ tik tok ✍️ for ✍️ film ✍️ suggestions ✍️ ever ✍️ again ✍️

Syaoran (2.5★) · 2223 likes

Just like in real life, Monday is a bitch.

Ellie ✨ (2.5★) · 1352 likes

the most extreme case of eldest daughter syndrome ever committed to screen

Ian (2★) · 1004 likes

One woman playing seven women playing one woman. Great concept. Bad execution. God, I hate Mondays.

emily (3★) · 864 likes

the fact that i got to see dyke noomi, jersey barbie noomi, soft schoolteacher-ish noomi, smart and sophisticated noomi, jittery stoner noomi, tech noomi and extremely ripped hardass noomi in the same film... idc i'm blessed on this day.

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Topics

dystopian sci-fi, thriller, action, near-future, surveillance state, identity, family drama, clone concept, grim tone, female-led

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