Crushed by the tedium of her daily routine, a woman takes a leap of faith. Clara is suffocated by her commute, by her job, by her life. One day, drowning in anxiety, she finally reaches her breaking point. Monday is an experimental film that explores the boundaries of narrative with movement and sound.

Director’s Statement

I wrote this film while recovering from months of depression and chronic anxiety. It felt like walking underwater or running in slow motion; one of those slowly unfolding nightmares you can’t wake up from, with an invisible force compressing your chest. I wanted to find a way to describe what it feels like, this amorphous dark state, and the best way I could think of was with movement, dance and sound. I also wanted to create a character who had the strength to break free. That’s how MONDAY was born.

Although the music and sound is very present throughout the film, we actually shot and choreographed it entirely in silence. Aside from a couple tracks for reference, Marina Santo, our dancer and choreographer, had no idea what the music would be like. It was only after we had a first cut that we shared it with musician Manuel Morales, who created an original score. Inspired by Marina’s movements and using sounds recorded during the shoot, Morales created this textured track that amplifies the protagonist’s frenetic mindset. Background sounds were also amplified and layered by Quino Pinero, our sound designer, to build up this anxious, sort of maddening feeling.