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Monolith
2016 81 min Italy, United Kingdom 12+
★5.5
Thriller, Drama
Director: Ivan Silvestrini
Trailers
Description
A mother and her son plan a surprise visit to Los Angeles to see her husband/his father. Halfway there they get into a terrible accident in the middle of nowhere and now must fight to survive.
Starring
Katrina Bowden
Actor
Krew Hodges
Actor
Nixon Hodges
Actor
Awards
3 nominations total
Key opinion
Monolith is a polarizing minimalist thriller that functions more as a character study of a flawed protagonist than a high-stakes genre piece. While praised for its lead performance and visual atmosphere, the film is widely criticized for its frustrating narrative choices and the protagonist's questionable decision-making.
| Acting | Katrina Bowden delivers an anchoring, committed performance that holds the film together despite its narrative limitations. | |
| Cinematography | The desert and mountain cinematography provides a striking, high-quality visual backdrop that elevates the film's modest production design. | |
| Score | The electronic score effectively builds and sustains tension within the film's constrained, single-location setting. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is divisive: some viewers appreciate the grounded character exploration, while others find the protagonist's careless actions and repetitive dialogue frustrating. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing is a point of contention, with the slow-burn approach being seen as either an effective exercise in tension or an exhausting, stagnant slog. |