Monos [DVD]

Unlike other reviewers, I was not taken with the scenery in this film about a group of young revolutionaries or child soldiers who have been given some form of duty or mission to perform.The mountain top is remote, but blighted by what seems to be an ugly old fort or industrial structure in which the 'soldiers' of the 'Organisation' keep their captive. The views of the surrounding countryside are beautiful and inviting, but merely contrast and increase the ugliness and isolation of the group of human beings and their location on the misty, damp mountain.Likewise, the jungle to me at least is not depicted with any sympathy either - there is no celebration of lushness as you see in Terence Malick's 'The Thin Red Line' for example. Rather, the jungle acts as a dour camouflage back drop to the interesting and disturbing human behaviour on display. You are thus, drawn to watch the people in the film, not the flora.There are other weird jarring contrasts and juxta-positions - the child soldiers are initially drilled by an adult who looks as though he is from one of the region's ethnic tribes - he is smaller than many of the children - a mini-adult - and whom eventually is disposed of when he tries to enforce some order on the group.One of the girls in the group (Swede) seems drawn to their captive (a woman) only to have her vulnerability in an idyllic pool scene brutally taken advantage of and is killed so that the captive can make her escape.And what can be said of the group itself? Comparisons with Lord of the Flies and Apocalypse are valid.The film for me captures the group think of a team in all its self contradiction. There are unwritten rules, a hierarchy, a mode of doing things that is unique and normal to them but which we the audience as non-members find totally unfathomable and even unacceptable. Being in some form of military situation, there is also a strong tone of underlying brutalisation too.The potential of their aggression to be turned on the group itself is ever present.The group (or team) ethos has an oppressive quality about it that supresses individuality - desires, needs, opinions, ideas, opportunity, insecurities, jealousies, resentments - these are not squashed out but merely contained, bubbling dangerously under the surface. And of course, we see them come out as random acts of violence - suicide, beatings, shootings, betrayals - as the team ethic becomes so tight, so constricting that the mission is destroyed by the team's own logic.One of the group briefly escapes after falling foul of the group think and finds themselves staying with a normal family - eating well, sleeping in a nice bed, surrounded by real children who have had the chance to be children.It is the most touching scene in the film and makes you reflect that although you don't find any of these characters likeable, they are actually very young and maybe cannot handle the task they have been given, nor the operational expectations they are expected to exist under and makes you wonder what events happened that got them to be there at all?You are left with a profound sense of lost childhood, but in a way, the innocence of these child-soldiers seems strangely revealed, reclaimed and resurrected in the unravelling of their mission at the end.A very interesting film that I highly recommend to those looking for something different on a well known theme.

Monos inhibits a heart of darkness to illustrate humanity's primal instincts. Order descends into chaos. Democracy spirals into anarchy. Civilisation is built upon the skeletal foundations of fossilised primordial neanderthals, the earliest form of societal structure. Hierarchies dependent upon the commands of a leader. Without leadership, without the control of power, there is no discipline. Clouded peaks of tranquility, Colombia. War ravages the landscape below. "The Organization", an allegiance of anonymity, instructing a small cluster of armed teenage guerillas to retain a hostage in the remote environment that towers over the expansive horizons. Equipped with the assignment, these youthful commandos are tested. Challenged mentally and physically. Initially embracing cohabitation with their former leader, until a complacent accident leaves the group searching for power. Ideologies skewed, this impactful transition of leadership ultimately affects the dynamic of the teenagers, subsiding to primal intuition.Landes' combination of Golding's 'Lord of the Flies' and Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' may lack the psychological vibrancy of their source materials, yet effortlessly embraces the bleakness of its political surroundings. The core loneliness of Monos illustrates the identity crisis that the conflicting country faces today. Governments are pitted against communist guerillas and crime syndicates, turning the serene topography into a fragile battlefield. Landes captures the delicate nature of Colombia's ministerial mayhem and likens it to primeval anarchy. The fractured control that dissipates within the group, either due to conflicting moralities or general insubordination, is the metaphor. The metaphor that strikes at the heart, departing a persisting impact with its intrinsic insight into chaos.The narrative is essentially segregated into two juxtaposing segments. The mountaintop, filmed exquisitely in Chingaza National Natural Park, and the jungles of Antioquia Department. Both halves present the same ordeal, yet the group is guided by a different member. Wolf orginally, then Bigfoot. It presents a shift in power, not just in leadership, but in group psychosis. For example, Wolf leads a celebration after "The Organization" lend Monos a domestic farm animal. It involved joyfully circling a fire and, generally, emanating happiness. An hour later, Bigfoot commences a celebration after retrieving the escaped hostage. This time, participating in a ritualistic fight that resembled an animalistic tone. Landes subtly exemplifies the mind's descent into solidarity, as the teenagers lose their societal upbringing.Contrasting examples like this are interwoven throughout, however the characters themselves needed more time to develop and provide the integral psychological insight that was unfortunately absent. Bonds between Rambo and Lady and with Boom Boom and Swede needed to flourish more within the feral foliage to produce a more unyielding energy, especially during the latter half when moral conflicts become established. Fortunately this does not deter from the narrative's staying power, which from the abrupt cut to black, will endure for several months.All performances were equally ferocious, with Arias leading the pack embodying angst and brutality. The gender neutrality of Buenaventura, who plays Rambo, heeds to the concept of identity searching. Levi's minimalistic yet evocative score supplies scenes of distressing nature with a foreboding presence, particularly the celebratory moments. And, obviously, Wolf's cinematography was sublime and a substantial aspect to Monos' acclaim. From the torrential tropics to the precipitating pinnacles, every frame was stunningly coloured and intimidatingly inviting.Instrumental to its political presentation, Monos alludes to its tranquil photography. A group separated from society. Alone. One. Its deafening silence echoes across the mountainous peaks and rampaging rapids, signifying the persuasion of Colombia's deceptive youth to take control of their future. Control of their society. Control of their country.

This is not your run of the mill movie. But it has great characters and a really enjoyable story. If you want something different from the normal Hollywood or British film give it a go, I am sure you will enjoy.

A slow start, set in Colombia with a faction of teenage soldiers guarding a Western female hostage, it soon picks up a bit and is quite a good film although it is in Spanish with English subtitles, overall I enjoyed the film.

Test effectué le 21 février 2021 en VO sur vidéoprojecteur JVC DLA X35 3D Blanc, écran lumene diagonale 2.70 m, ensemble 5.1 Bowers & Wilking, double subwoofer Velodine CHT -10 Q.1) Le Blue Ray :La compression numérique rend parfaitement justice à l'ambition visuelle du film.Les couleurs sont somptueuses, contrastées. La profondeur de champs vertigineuse dans la première partie, les montages, Oppressantes dans la seconde, la jungle.La bande son hantée par un design sonore sombre, entêtant, joue la carte du réalisme : les bruits de nature, les déflagrations, et restitue le chaos dans lequel évoluent les personnages.Note technique 5/5.2) Le film :Un groupe d'adolescents à peine sortis de l'enfance ont été embrigadés par une faction révolutionnaire et ont pour mission de garder une otage américaine. Un banal accident mettra le groupe sous la double menace de l'armée mais surtout de la guérilla qu'ils sont censés servir. L'épreuve mettra à jour la véritable personnalité des uns et des autres.L'action est hors champs, pas d'effets pyrotechnique. La violence est filmée à hauteur des personnages. Elle n'en est que plus éprouvante.Coup de chapeau à l'ensemble du casting constitué d'une pléiade de jeunes acteurs sud américains tous plus doués les uns que les autres, capables de passer de la sauvagerie à la candeur avec un spontanéité ahurissante de réalismeL'intérêt du film est triple et cohérent entre chaque niveau de lecture.D'abord une expérience esthétique rare. Monos est un des plus beaux longs métrages des dix dernières années.La consonnance politique : le film dénonce avec force l'inhumanité des guérillas (Les FARCS en particulier). Mouvements qui n'hésitent pas à embrigader des enfants, à en faire des bourreaux, à les livres à eux mêmes dans les pires conditions et à les abandonner dans la déroute. Cés déchets (comment les appelés autrement ? ) éprouvent plus de respect pour une vache que pour un gosse.Le propos philosophique : Les splendeurs du Monde (superbement mises en image), les sentiments les plus simples : amitié, amour, simple humanité face à la détresse d'autrui, sont impuissants à endiguer la sauvagerie de la nature humaine. Les prédateurs sont parmi nous et nous contaminent.Constat que l'on retrouve dans le long métrage " La ligne rouge" de Terrence Malik et, bien évidemment dans le roman "Sa Majesté des mouches" auquel le film fait de multiples références.En conclusion : un film, hélas, méconnu. Une pépite noire. Une splendeur visuelle. Une expérience qui marque durablement l'œil autant que l'esprit.A découvrir sans hésitation.

Il film si avvia in modo suggestivo, in un'atmosfera cupa e inquietante, ma poi non si sviluppa e risulta lento e oscuro. Malgrado quindi qualche buon momento, in definitiva è noioso.

This is an addition to my collection of movies that has actress Julianne Nicholson in it.

It’s ok movie. More about survival