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Drama thriller

Monos (2019): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Monos (2019) movie poster

Monos is a 2019 drama thriller directed by Alejandro Landes, starring Julianne Nicholson as Doctora, Sofia Buenaventura and Moisés Arias. It runs 1 hour 42 minutes and earned $1.9 million worldwide on a $1.8 million budget. Critics gave it 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.8/10.

IMDb rating
6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes
93%
worldwide gross
$1.9M
Echo Score
81
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Monos (2019) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 42m (102 min)
Director
Alejandro Landes
Genres
Drama , Thriller
Original language
Spanish
Studio
Neon
Budget
$1.8M
After the credits
No No extra scene
The story

What Is Monos About?

The premise of Monos without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

High in the remote, mountainous region of Latin America, a squad of adolescent soldiers, identifying themselves with chosen warrior names, undergoes intense training. Their isolated existence is disrupted when a surprise attack throws their operation into chaos. As the group's carefully maintained order collapses, tensions rise, and the psychological toll of their mission and environment begins to test the fragile relationships between them.

Monos Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags
  • metaphoric title
  • hostage
  • male nudity
  • male rear nudity
  • chained by the neck
  • one word title
  • violence
  • child soldier
  • gun
  • chase
  • escape
  • kidnapping
+38 more
  • cow
  • river
  • female hostage
  • dead cow
  • strangulation
  • helicopter
  • uh 60 blackhawk helicopter
  • guerrilla army
  • hostage video
  • suicide
  • suicide by shooting oneself
  • high on mushroom
  • magic mushroom trip
  • night vision goggles
  • colombia
  • escape attempt
  • machete
  • watching tv
  • strangled with a chain
  • bare chested male
  • urination
  • nickname
  • doctor
  • psychological warfare
  • mountaintop
  • shot in the head
  • rescue
  • shot to death
  • mountain
  • rope bridge
  • ambiguous ending
  • sex scene
  • female doctor
  • animal as title
  • teenager
  • teenage boy
  • teenage girl
  • cigarette smoking
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Cast & crew

Monos Cast & Characters

Julianne Nicholson leads the cast as Doctora, with Sofia Buenaventura as Rambo and Moisés Arias. Directed by Alejandro Landes; 10 actors are credited in all.

Also Starring in Monos

· 6 more
Ratings

Monos Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Monos 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 6.8/10. Our Echo Score gives it 81/100, strongest in sensory experience (92) and weakest in story & flow (50).

81 /100

Monos Echo Score Breakdown

Monos excels in its visual and directorial craft while presenting a deliberately elusive narrative. The film’s direction and cinematography consistently draw attention for their immersive, textural quality, creating an atmosphere that is both brutal and lyrical. At the same time, the story’s allegorical structure and sparse exposition leave pacing and coherence uneven for many viewers. Despite this, the film’s strengths in style and performance ensure that its singular vision remains compelling overall.

Our own 0–100 rating, built from five aspects: art, character, story, the sensory experience and how well a film rewatches.

  • Art & Craft 88

    Art & Craft is a principal strength of Monos, with direction and cinematography receiving widespread acclaim. Observers note the film’s mercurial tonality and surreal compositions, while many praise the garden-to-jungle visual transitions and tense framing. Even critiques of derivative imagery acknowledge the technical precision in editing and production design. Overall, the film’s craft is assured and richly textured, delivering a consistently potent visual identity.

  • Character & Emotion 82

    Character & Emotion are anchored by strong performances that convey genuine humanity amid brutality. Critics highlight Moises Arias’s career-best work and the young ensemble’s chemistry, noting moments of empathy without sentimentality. Some viewers, however, find background motivations sparse, which can limit emotional connection for those seeking deeper context. Nonetheless, the nuanced acting and emotional stakes sustain engagement and underscore the film’s thematic depth.

  • Story & Flow 50

    Story & Flow prove more divisive, with the film’s allegorical approach offering originality but also inducing narrative ambiguity. Supporters appreciate the mythic quality and thematic resonance of adolescent anarchy, while many point to episodic pacing and a lack of concrete exposition. Critics and viewers alike mention unresolved plot lines and occasional confusion in the second half. The result is an unconventional narrative that intrigues but can feel uneven in coherence and momentum.

  • Sensory Experience 92

    Sensory Experience ranks among the film’s most compelling aspects, enveloping audiences in a visceral assault of sound and visuals. Mica Levi’s disorienting score, the tactile sound design, and Jasper Wolf’s contrasting wide shots and intimate handheld frames create an immersive environment. Reviewers describe a hallucinatory atmosphere that is simultaneously muddy and magnificent. In sum, Monos offers a richly layered sensory journey that remains one of its most memorable features.

  • Rewatch Factor 78

    Rewatch Factor benefits from the film’s striking imagery and layered performances, offering fresh observations upon subsequent viewings. The lush cinematography and discordant soundtrack reveal new textures with each revisit, and the ensemble’s raw energy continues to resonate. At the same time, the story’s deliberate opacity and episodic structure may deter some viewers from frequent returns. Overall, the film’s aesthetic depth encourages repeat engagement despite its challenging narrative.

Plot

Monos Plot Summary

What happens in Monos from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

On a distant mountaintop, a group known as the Monos, a team of teenage commandos identified solely by their unique codenames, engages in military exercises while keeping an eye on their prisoner, referred to as “Doctora”. The Monos are under the watchful eye of the Messenger, a high-ranking official from the mysterious Organization they serve. During a visit to supervise their training, the Messenger motivates them to push beyond their limits. Amidst this environment, two of the Monos, Lady and Wolf, receive approval to start a romantic relationship. Days later, as a gift for their celebration, the Messenger leaves them with a cow named Shakira.

Full summary

The whole story of Monos, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Monos Box Office & Budget

Monos grossed $1.9 million worldwide on a $1.8 million budget, 1.1 times what it cost. $406,473 came from the US and Canada and $1.2 million (75%) from the rest of the world.

2019 box office

Worldwide gross

$1.9M

1.1× its budget

US & Canada
$406.5K
International
$1.2M
Budget
$1.8M
US & Canada 25% Rest of the world 75%
Videos

Monos Trailers & Videos

8 videos: 1 trailer, 5 clips and 2 featurettes.

All 8 videos
Trailer
  • Clip Swimming Pools
  • Clip Radio Call
  • Clip The Messenger
  • Clip Roll Call
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Monos?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What is the codename of the prisoner being held by the group on the mountaintop?

Details

Monos Also Known As

13 alternative titles, including “Monos - Zwischen Himmel und Hölle” and “Opice”.

Also known as
  • Monos - Zwischen Himmel und Hölle
  • Opice
  • 8 Küçük Asker
  • Монос
  • Monos - Un gioco da ragazzi
  • 모노스
  • 猴子
  • Οι Μonos
  • Обезьяны
  • Monos: Entre o Céu e o Inferno
  • Bầy Khỉ
  • 失控少年兵團
+1 more
  • MONOS 猿と呼ばれし者たち

Seen Monos?

FAQ

Monos FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings, post-credit scenes and language of Monos, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Monos?

Monos runs 1 hour 42 minutes (102 minutes).

When was Monos released?

Monos was released on September 13, 2019.

Who directed Monos?

Monos was directed by Alejandro Landes.

More films by Alejandro Landes

Who is in the cast of Monos?

Monos stars Julianne Nicholson as Doctora, Sofia Buenaventura as Rambo and Moisés Arias, among 10 credited actors.

How much did Monos make at the box office?

Monos grossed $1.9 million worldwide ($406,473 domestic, $1.2 million international) on a budget of $1.8 million.

How is Monos rated?

Monos has 6.8/10 on IMDb, 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, 78 on Metacritic and 66% on TMDB.

Does Monos have a post-credit scene?

No. Monos has no extra scene during or after the credits.

What language is Monos in?

The original language of Monos is Spanish.

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