The very best sci-fi horrors don’t always have to contain terrifying new technology, and often focus on the psychological. Upcoming release Monolith appears to be following that trend, and if the trailer is anything to go by, doing it well.
The movie, starring Aussie Lily Sullivan, has been slowly gaining traction online in the run up to its release. However, with a new trailer recently dropping more and more fans of the genre are taking notice of the film.
The sci-fi movie was first shown in late 2022 at the Adelaide Film Festival, before getting a good reception State-side at SXSW in March 2023.
If you saw the tense, compelling trailer and want to know more, or have heard about the upcoming flick on social media and are keen to do some research to see if it’s your kind of film, then you’re in the right place. Here’s our guide to Monolith, including the release date, trailer, and more!
What is Monolith about?
The synopsis of Monolith, taken from the film’s website, reads as follows:
“While trying to salvage her career, a disgraced journalist begins investigating a strange conspiracy theory. But as the trail leads uncomfortably close to home, she is left to grapple with the lies at the heart of her own story.”
While the trailer doesn’t offer us any information on how the journalist came to be disgraced, it does give us a fair amount of other details about the film. Sullivan uses her natural Aussie accent during the movie, and is shown looking at a map of the vast country, so we can assume the film takes place there.
Monolith is also making waves thanks to the fact that, aside from voice actors, Sullivan is the only performer on screen. In fact, all the action takes place in the character’s parents’ remote home. If it wasn’t clear from that alone, the trailer also indicates that alienation, isolation, and how the combination of those two can scramble your brain will be the central themes of the movie.
The main character’s only social contact appears to be listeners to her podcast, who have also dealt with the strange alien structures that appear to have inserted themselves in the journalist’s life. This also implies that a lot of the terror the main character faces may very well be in her head.
What’s the release date for Monolith?
Monolith will be released on Feb. 16 2024. The film will be playing at select theaters, and available to buy digitally. It is unknown if the production company behind the film has secured any deals with the major streaming companies to add Monolith to their content library.
Can I watch the trailer for Monolith?
You most definitely can! The independent film company Well Go USA Entertainment, who will release the film, dropped a trailer on their YouTube page on Jan. 9 2024. You can watch it above.
Who are the cast of Monolith?
On screen, the only member of cast appears to be Lily Sullivan. Her character is known as “The Interviewer.” Although Sullivan has appeared in a number of films and shows in her native Australia, American audiences are most likely to recognize her from Evil Dead Rise.
Voices involved in the movie include Kiwi actor Erik Thomson as The Interviewer’s Dad, Deadloch star Kate Box, and Justified actor Damon Herriman.
What are the critics saying about Monolith?
Pretty good things, actually. Director Matt Vesely has been getting a lot of plaudits, and the movie is rated at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes as of this article being published.
Many reviewers praised Sullivan’s performance, which needed to be excellent as she is the glue holding the entire movie together. They were also impressed with the way that Vesely utilized the constraints of the way it was shot, without relying too much on the singular location of the movie in his attempt to project a claustrophobic and maddening atmosphere.
Reviewers were also impressed with the way the movie wove in critiques about modern media, and how highly specialized pieces of content (or “narrowcasting”) has led to the fragmentation of the concept of truth online. The cinematography was also heavily praised, and the quality of it is something you can see in the trailer.