What Happened to Monday

What Happened to Monday has built a real following in the US on Netflix, and in the UK on Netflix among viewers who want their sci-fi to think as hard as it looks. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Noomi Rapace — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. Available now on Netflix — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, What Happened to Monday earns its spot. The world-building is meticulous, but it is the characters who carry What Happened to Monday through its more ambitious moments. In a world where families are limited to one child due to overpopulation, a set of identical septuplets must avoid being put to a long sleep by the government and dangerous infighting while investigating the disappearance of one of their own. Noomi Rapace and Glenn Close lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It hit screens in 2017. What Happened to Monday resists the temptation to explain everything, trusting the audience to sit with ambiguity. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give What Happened to Monday a chance. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Noomi Rapace anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.