Sydney Film Festival 2019 - Film Review - Monos

Monos

Colombian director, Alejandro Landes skilfully brings the reality of civil war, the use of child soldiers and the plight of many Latin American nations to the screen in his provocative film Monos. Set in an unnamed country with lush visuals in cloud top mountains and dense jungles, the film follows a troop of teenage fighters who have been tasked with guarding a hostage adult prisoner (a female engineer referred to as 'Doctora') whilst also protecting a ruined defensive concrete bunker complex.

Answering to a shadowy group called 'The Organisation' and an adult controller (who operates more as a drill instructor and ideological cadre) order and discipline in the troop breaks down after a series of missteps and the escape of their hostage. Left much to themselves with only occasional contact from their controller and communication via a military radio, a Lord of the Flies feral theme becomes the foundation of this story.

The seriousness of their situation becomes only too apparent when an Army offensive forces the larger adult resistance fighters to retreat back to the bunker complex and the young fighters are instructed to fall back to a position deeper in the jungle. This is film which displays raw emotion, high level but not gratuitous violence and masterful portrayal of the breakdown of inter-relationships. A young cast provide the realism needed for the story set to the backdrop of stunning visual photography and an evocative music score by Mica Levi.

Monos