Movie review
August 18, 2017 · 123 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
In a 2073 dystopian Europe, overpopulation triggers a strict one-child policy enforced by the Child Allocation Bureau, which secretly destroys extra children rather than cryogenically preserving them. Seven identical septuplet sisters, raised in hiding by their grandfather and sharing one public identity named Karen Settman, must evade capture and investigate the disappearance of one sister while uncovering government corruption. The narrative drives on family loyalty, individual survival, and resistance to authoritarian population control, with a late twist centering a pregnancy and the policy's eventual abolition; no modern identity politics, forced representation, or activist messaging appears in the story, dialogue, or visuals.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for What Happened to Monday.
Woke representation / casting
Noomi Rapace plays all seven identical sisters in a premise-driven technical showcase that matches the biological septuplet concept exactly; supporting cast (including Marwan Kenzari and Tomiwa Edun) reflects a realistic modern European city without audience-visible quotas, mismatches, or demographic signaling.
Woke political dialogue
Characters debate overpopulation ethics and government deception, with the villain delivering lines defending the policy that echo real-world population-control arguments, but these remain functional thriller dialogue without contemporary activist rhetoric or identity framing.
Identity-driven story themes
The sisters' arcs center on shared secrecy versus personal individuality and family survival under state oppression; no plotlines, character motivations, or conflicts are driven by gender, race, sexuality, or group-identity politics.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The film portrays a corrupt European Federation bureaucracy and power-hungry official who secretly eliminate children while lying to the public, presenting authoritarian population control and loss of individual rights as clear villainy that must be dismantled and abolished.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant (original screenplay with no source material, historical figures, or canon reinterpretations).
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No backlash exists claiming the title pushes woke, activist, identity-political, or left-wing messaging; all available coverage and discussion either ignore politics or note conservative-leaning undertones instead.
Creator track record context
Neither director Tommy Wirkola nor writer Max Botkin has any documented history of activist, social-justice, or identity-focused prior projects or statements.
Production
