Monsters (2010)

Directed by: Gareth Edwards | 94 minutes | drama, thriller, science fiction | Actors: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy, Fernando Lara

‘Monsters’ proves once again that you don’t need an astronomical budget to make a strong film. Debut director Gareth Edwards – originally a visual effects maker for the BBC – went to Central America with two professional actors and a tiny film crew to shoot his own monster movie. Edwards took advantage of locations he happened upon during the trip, chartered the locals for supporting roles, had the dialogue largely improvised and afterwards crafted the special effects himself. The result is a gripping, fiercely realistic mix of monster movie, road movie and love story, which makes you think about how we as humanity interact with each other, nature and everything else.

In ‘Monsters’ aliens have colonized northern Mexico. Six years after the crash of a contaminated space probe, their presence is a fait accompli; half the country has been quarantined and the United States has secured its southern border with a high wall to prevent the creatures from advancing further. In addition, the army regularly carries out bombings. In the meantime, the Mexicans have to learn to live with the fact that there are victims on their side of the no-go zone during outbreaks. The story follows photographer Kaulder (Scoot McNairy), who has traveled to Mexico to shoot lucrative images of the aliens. His plans are shattered when his boss asks him to accompany rich man’s daughter Sam (Whitney Able) on her return trip to America. Circumstances force the pair to take a dangerous route through an infected area, which brings them closer together.

‘Monsters’ should have more of the atmosphere than the action. No tentacle spectacle, epic battles or highly hyped Hollywood drama, but the film is all the more sultry. There is a subcutaneous tension that is heightened by the resignation of the local population; it’s painfully obvious that Kaulder and Sam are in uncharted territory. By acting in a subtle, almost casual way, Edwards makes you believe that the fictional Mexico of ‘Monsters’ really does exist: signs indicating how far you are from the infected zone, plane wrecks, a square with memorials to the victims of the samples. This realism is also reflected in the dialogues, which were not whispered in by a screenwriter but were filled in by the actors themselves. What you get are real conversations – with the necessary rambling and the occasional wonderful observation, such as the comment that people who build a wall to exclude the other are essentially building a prison for themselves.

You could see ‘Monsters’ as an indictment of the US migrant policy, but because Edwards mainly registers and does not take a position, you can interpret the story in several ways. For example, it is possible to discuss who the monsters in ‘Monsters’ actually are. Edwards presents his aliens not as a malicious invasion force, but as organisms that fight for survival like terrestrial life forms. When Sam and Kaulder witness a mating ritual during their journey, amazement wins out over fear. The scene is so beautifully shot that you expect David Attenborough’s commentary to accompany it, and makes you wonder if bombing the creatures flat is the only option.

‘Monsters’ is a moving, understated film that sucks you into a world that feels unusually authentic, with flesh-and-blood characters, recognizable situations, sparse but impressive monster effects and a denouement that leaves you with a knot in the stomach. Rarely has a creature feature been so beautiful and melancholy. See!