The Reel Review
A disgraced journalist tries to rehabilitate her reputation by launching a podcast to investigate a mysterious black object that causes those who possess it to be filled with dread. Believing it to be proof of an alien conspiracy, she ends up finding herself in danger when she obtains one. Lily Sullivan stars in this Australian sci-fi/mystery.
Monolith is a real head scratcher of a film. It starts of well enough with an interesting premise, only to fall apart halfway in. It is not so much about where the object comes from or what it does as it is a heady representation of the deepest, darkest secrets we humans keep, in this case, manifesting themselves in a physical form.
Sullivan, as the film’s only onscreen actor, gives a committed, all-in performance as the unreliable narrator who gradually discovers her own terrible, dark secret. While fans of esoteric cinema will appreciate the symbolism and striking cinematography, most will find the unfocused story a tedious slog with no real payoff.
REEL FACTS
• Monolith is the first feature film produced and released from the Film Lab: New Voices initiative of the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) and Adelaide Film Festival (AFF).
• Films that feature only one onscreen cast member are called one-handers.
• Lily Sullivan was also one of the stars of the 2023 horror Evil Dead Rise.
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