FEATURE FILM REVIEW
MONSTERS
Three masked men set in motion a plan to rob a rich family, but nothing is as it seems.
BEING AT HOME IS supposed to be safe. A safe haven for everyone in the family. This day starts off no different than usual. Sylvia (Sabrine Zeibal) is on the phone and as her mother comes into the room, shows off her cute little dress while begging permission to attend a party. It all seems like a pretty typical family, teenage stuff. It's only when a group of intruders enter the home that things begin to get scary. The two women of the house are quickly, and violently subdued by the three masked men - their motives seem very clear. They want money; They want to know where the safe is; They'll do whatever it takes to get what they want... that much is all too clear.
HE'S STEPPING INTO WHAT MOST FATHERS AND HUSBANDS WOULD LITERALLY CONSIDER THE ULTIMATE HELL
If you think this all sounds like a horrible nightmare, you'd be one hundred percent correct... but as is often the case whenever criminals are involved, things are about to get worse. As Haj (Farouk Aznabet) opens his front to what should be his loving family, he's stepping into what most fathers and husbands would literally consider the ultimate hell - and there's literally nothing he can do about it. How would you react? What would you do? As Haj is quickly overpowered, we viewers get our first "real" taste of just how volatile this whole situation is. Thee masked men, all dangerous - but one man in particular, seems not only dangerous but totally crazy as well. The man they call Brute (Kamal Bouzian) seems to want nothing more than to kill and rape - and he really looks like he means business. The other two are not as violent, with one of the intruders actually sorry this has all gotten so bad. It seems as though Chakir (Abdelouhaid Zaouki) wishes this would all just be over, and that nobody else will get hurt... but he's the one who put this all together it seems. How's that grab you.
WHEN IT COMES TO PLOT, MONSTERS DOESN'T END WITH THE HOME INVASION
Finally, we have the man who runs things. They call him Boss (Alae El Bachiri) and he's literally right in the middle personality-wise. He has a deeper relationship with Chakir and although he's not as violent as Brute, he's definitely more violent than Chakir. But when it comes to plot, Monsters doesn't end with the home invasion. Actually, there's a lot more going on here that I just don't want to spoil. But the ultimate question Aksel Rifman's film eventually asks... is who is the bigger monster of the movie. You may be surprised by the answer you end up with. This film also plays around with other plot constructs - that are meant to get the viewer thinking, but this reviewer is definitely not qualified to go into those questions. You'll simply have to ask and answer them yourself.
THIS IS A FILM MEANT TO GET ITS VIEWERS THINKING
Starting off as the standard home invasion movie is just a ploy when discussing Monsters. It's the "push" that gets the movie going into more troublesome plot concepts. This is a film meant to get its viewers thinking, as it slowly reverses who we see as good guys and bad guys. Or maybe, there really aren't any good guys... only bad and bad - and those caught in the middle. The action sequences felt a little weird, but luckily there are not many of them, and the real meat and potatoes of this film is the atmosphere, and the questions it asks us to consider. Mostly, this was a very well done movie and for a micro-budget film, it's a really splendid work. From me, Monsters receives four out of five stars.
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