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Parents' Guide to

What Happened to Monday?

By Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Extremely violent dystopian thriller has sex, cursing.

Movie NR 2017 123 minutes
What Happened to Monday? Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 14 parent reviews

Charlotte N.
Charlotte N. Parent of 5, 8 and 13-year-old
January 31, 2023
age 13+

Just generally a good movie

I think this movie is good and if you aren’t gonna watch all at once try leave yourself on a cliff hanger, make you more eager to watch it and makes it more interesting I don’t recommend this for children under the age of 13
Jenna23
Jenna23 Adult
May 25, 2021
age 18+

Pro-Life Messaging in a Very Violent Package

What I liked about this movie is that the underlying message is undoubtedly pro-life, whether or not the creators meant it that way. Even in the face of a global crisis, limiting the number of children and killing unwanted ones is NOT the solution, and those who advocate that approach are the villains of this movie. The seven sisters' lives are worth fighting for, down to the last, and there's a twist at the end that extends the message to the unborn as well. Also some positive portrayals of sisterly love and support. That said, this movie is full of cursing, graphic violence, and an extremely graphic sex scene that is not entirely consensual at first. As a result, while I love the message of the movie, I have to urge extreme caution with watching it, especially for teens and younger.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 14 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Toward the end of the 21st century, WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY? finds female septuplets in grave danger. They were born at a time when the earth was depleted of its resources and doomed by overpopulation, burgeoning multiple births, and mutations -- and only one child was permitted per family. Under the auspices of CAB (Child Allocation Bureau), headed by scientist Nicolette Cayman (Glenn Close), all other children were to be frozen to await a time in which the earth would be repaired and capable of supporting more life. Only then would they be returned. Resourceful grandfather Terrence Settman (Willem Dafoe) has raised his granddaughters in hiding, named them for the days of the week, schooled them in the art of survival, and prepared them for a life of isolation to save their lives. Aided by new technologies and a remarkable mind, Settman has managed to keep all of the girls safe. Now 30 years old and on their own (each is portrayed by Noomi Rapace), "Monday," "Tuesday," "Wednesday," "Thursday," "Friday," "Saturday," and "Sunday" go out into the world as "Karen" Settman only on their namesake day of the week. Keeping a low profile, they go undetected as part of their large unnamed city's workforce. Frighteningly, Monday, as Karen, goes to work one day and doesn't come home. What follows is a search for Monday by her sisters, missing in a society that must not find them out.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (14 ):
Kids say (30 ):

Noomi Rapace's sharp portrayal of identical septuplets, as well as an inventive and intriguing concept, almost save this dystopian thriller from its cliched villains and some ludicrous plot points. Though each of the seven identical sisters is supposed to be unique (one slutty, one brainy, etc.), they're sketchy at best. Rapace brings as much depth as she can to them in the little time each holds the screen. Starting with a provocative premise, What Happened to Monday? ultimately becomes a violent search-and-destroy mission, with one brutal attack and death after another. (Spoiler alert: A particularly stomach-turning element of the story involves the fate of those who are being frozen to await rebirth at a later date.) Definitely not suitable for kids or those who aren't fans of ruthless evil and gore.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in What Happened to Monday? How did you feel during the intense scenes? Why do you think filmmakers opt for brutality and gore? What are they hoping to elicit from their audiences? What is the effect of violence on kids?

  • Who or what was responsible for the condition of our planet as it was portrayed? What message, if any, do you think the filmmakers were trying to send about human behavior today?

  • What are "dystopian societies" and "utopian societies"? Why are movies about such civilizations attractive to moviemakers? To audiences?

Movie Details

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