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★★★★
Written and Directed by Alejandro Montoya Marin
Starring Jamie H. Jung, Anna Schatte, Kenneth McGlothin, Sofia Embid, Bonnie Gayle
Indie Film Review by Hannah Sayer
Monday was a film made under very different yet exciting circumstances. With a budget of only
$7,000, the film was shot in only 14 days with no crew and no re shoots allowed. Monday was one of the films featured on Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew TV series. In this series, five filmmakers are given the chance to shoot a feature length film, with only 14 days and on a $7,000 budget. This series was inspired by it being the 25th anniversary since Rodriguez made his first feature-length film, El Mariachi (1992), with the same budget and time constraints. Alejandro Montoya Marin shows with this action comedy his talents even with such obstacles in his way.
The film follows Jim, played by Jamie H. Jung, one Monday that turns out to be the worst day of his life. He sleeps in and is late to work, resulting in him getting fired. When he returns home, his girlfriend Alice (Bonnie Gayle) dumps him and throws him out of the house with all of his belongings now in cardboard boxes. She accuses him of having no sense of responsibility as all he does all day is smoke weed, watch TV and play video games. His day turns from bad to worse when he finds out his now ex-girlfriend Alice is sleeping with someone else, who has a hit on him. These two women, The Hitwoman (Anna Schatte) and Sam (Sofia Embid), corner Jim and abduct him in an attempt to get him to kill Alice’s new lover Carlos Laredo (Joseph Perez).
Monday is an enjoyable film which looks like it was made with a higher budget. The crisp cinematography and the sharp editing gives Monday a finished look which suggests it was made for a lot more money than $7,000. Jamie H. Jung gives a brilliant performance as Jim whose life is quickly unravelling before his eyes, yet he still has his humour and constantly brings up pop culture references which give the film a refreshingly comedic tone. Monday subverts the classic hitman role by having this character as a woman which is a great twist on what the viewer is overly familiar with. The film also utilizes its great score which brings the whole narrative together.
Overall, Monday is an entertaining crowd pleaser which is a real success. Alejandro Montoya Marin has demonstrated his filmmaking abilities and that even with budget, crew and other limitations a film can still be a hit.
Watch the official movie trailer for Monday below.
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