Monolith

Monolith (2022)

Runtime: 94 minutes

Directed by: Matt Vesely

Starring: Mostly, it's just Lily Sullivan on screen, along with random voices from different actors

From: Many different Australian companies

Here's an interesting minimalist sci-fi picture that's been compared to a release from two months ago, for obvious reasons: 

For those that loved Undertone… my review for that film is one of the most popular I’ve ever written (thanks, everyone) due to my seeing it a few days before wide release. A mutual left a comment comparing Undertone to Monolith, a movie I don’t recall ever hearing about before. This person did not specifically recommend I see the film, yet their high praise was enticing. It’s only ambivalence on my part that Monolith wasn’t tackled much sooner; after all, an entirely separate Letterboxd mutual compared the two movies in their review.

The comparisons are understandable; both are mainly methodically-paced one-handers set entirely in a expansive house w/ a troubled young woman who hosts a supernatural podcast. They receive an anonymous e-mail about something otherworldly; there are other moments, but spoilers. Unlike Undertone, this is about an unnamed journalist mired in scandal-the e-mail in question concerns a mysterious object. It wasn’t long before I realized what the title “Monolith” meant, and which director they were inspired by. The obviously illusion to at least one other film from the director did tickle me pink.

Unlike Undertone, the movie isn’t predicated on sound design, nor is it focused on being unsettling & scary. Heck, the movie is centered on sci-fi instead of horror. Monolith attempts to say more about various topics I of course better not spoil. How successful the film is at its mission can be argued; personally, I never fully warmed up to the lead, although that was by design. That’s not a criticism of Lily Sullivan, of Evil Dead Rise fame. My opinion is more on the character; she did a very good job.

Perhaps my recommending the film for those that felt disappointed-or downright hated-Undertone is the better lede. The ambition and its themes might speak to you deeply. While not a home run-and like w/ Undertone, its finale won't work for everyone.

Monolith can still be classified as “good”; for some, the cerebral approach will work even better for them. Undoubtedly, the attempt to create something in the genre that is thoughtful and requires speculation from the viewer is appreciated when the large majority of science fiction in the 21st century is full of bombast & spectacle.