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Monolith (2024) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2024 · 1 h 34 m · English
Echo score 78
Directed by
Matt Vesely
Starring
Damon Herriman, Lily Sullivan, Erik Thomson, Ling Cooper Tang, Ansuya Nathan, Terence Crawford
Budget
$640K

A struggling journalist attempts to rebuild her career by investigating a puzzling conspiracy. As she digs deeper, she uncovers unsettling truths that challenge her understanding of reality and forces her to confront hidden secrets within her own past, blurring the distinction between fact and fiction.

On this page (5)
  1. 1 Events in order (15)
  2. 2 Timeline questions answered
  3. 3 Movie threads
  4. 4 Movies like Monolith
  5. 5 Every angle

15 events in order · contains spoilers

Monolith Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Monolith (2024) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Childhood Memories

    A man begins narrating a story about his childhood experiences with his mother. He recalls a troubling event where someone began taking pictures of his family without their consent, leading them to feel threatened and fearful.

  2. Stalker Incident

    The family's sense of security is shattered when they discover that the person taking pictures is a stalker. In response, they contact the police to report the incident, but unfortunately, the cops have no records of the stalker, and critical evidence is lost.

  3. The Podcaster's Apology

    In a reflective moment, the ex-journalist turned podcaster publicly apologizes for her previous mistakes in journalism. She expresses regret for failing to verify her sources before publishing a previous article, showcasing her commitment to accurately reporting the truth in her new venture.

  4. Launch of 'Beyond Believable'

    The podcaster introduces her new podcast titled 'Beyond Believable,' aiming to explore mysterious stories and truths. She begins listening to an influx of messages from her audience, some supportive, while others express disdain for her work.

  5. The Mysterious Email

    Amidst the hate messages, the podcaster discovers an anonymous email containing the word 'Bricks,' along with an intriguing number. This sparks her curiosity, pushing her to follow the lead and uncover the truth behind this mysterious connection.

  6. Conversation with Ms. King

    The podcaster contacts a woman named Ms. King to discuss the anonymous email. Ms. King reluctantly shares her experience of being blamed for scratches on the owner's furniture, revealing a connection to a black brick that was linked to her daughter, Paula.

  7. The Black Brick's Legacy

    Ms. King narrates the history of the black brick, which was sold to a German art collector after being deemed a form of payment for the furniture damage. The intrigue around the brick deepens as she describes its powerful aura and the ominous mystery it seems to carry.

  8. The German Collector's Revelation

    The podcaster connects with a German art collector named Lang, who reveals that he owns multiple black bricks. He recounts personal experiences with his own brick, including strange visions and a profound connection that he believes transcends normal perception.

  9. More Voices of the Bricks

    As the podcaster releases her first episode, she receives a surge of calls from others claiming to have received their own bricks. One caller, Laura, shares her struggles with visions and the unsettling feeling that the brick is trying to communicate important messages.

  10. Mapping the Mystery

    The podcaster begins to chart locations reported by individuals who have encountered the bricks, piecing together a network of experiences. She hears a cautionary tale from a man whose grandfather faced similar visions and the ensuing dangers.

  11. Historical Connection Revealed

    While investigating, the podcaster uncovers an article from journalist Shiloh Lowden that details government research on similar phenomena. The parallels with the black bricks ignite her determination to delve deeper into the narrative's origins.

  12. The Video Revelation

    A package arrives, delivering a USB containing a video of the podcaster from her childhood. In a shocking twist, she sees herself mentioning a black brick as a birthday gift, causing her to panic and seek answers from her father about its significance.

  13. Confrontation with Lang

    The podcaster confronts Lang about the true nature of the bricks, questioning if he is toying with her. Their conversation takes a dark turn as strange occurrences lead to a chilling revelation about the bricks' influence on their lives.

  14. Dialogue with Floramae

    After engaging with Paula, the daughter of Ms. King, the podcaster learns about the repercussions of her journalism on their family. Paula accuses her of ruining lives over the past events involving the brick and the subsequent fallout.

  15. The Fateful Encounter

    In a climactic final scene, a dark twist emerges as the podcaster confronts a duplicate of herself formed from one of the black bricks. A struggle ensues, leading to a deadly confrontation that raises questions about identity, truth, and the power of the bricks.

Last updated: March 08, 2025 at 15:50

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Timeline questions answered

Monolith Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Monolith (2024): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does the podcaster decide to investigate the mysterious bricks?

The podcaster decides to investigate the bricks after receiving an anonymous email containing the word 'Bricks' and a cryptic message hinting that the truth will soon be revealed. This piques her curiosity because she's desperate to rebuild her credibility after a previous journalistic failure where she failed to verify her sources. She's also driven by her professional need for a compelling story that could restore her reputation.

  • investigation
  • podcast
  • bricks
  • curiosity
  • credibility
Q2

What are the black bricks in the movie?

The black bricks are mysterious objects that appear to have supernatural properties. Multiple people who possess them experience strange visions and a sense that the brick is trying to communicate with them. The bricks seem to contain some form of unknown language or consciousness, and in the protagonist's case, they can apparently create duplicates of people. The bricks were sold to collectors and appeared to originate from an Australian seller.

  • black bricks
  • supernatural
  • objects
  • mystery
Q3

How does the protagonist's childhood connect to the bricks?

The protagonist discovers a video on a USB drive showing herself as a child mentioning receiving a black brick as a birthday gift. This revelation shocks her and drives her to confront her father about the brick's significance. The connection suggests she had an unexplained encounter with the bricks long before her investigation, making her part of the larger mystery surrounding these objects.

  • childhood
  • bricks
  • video
  • father
  • past
Q4

Why does Lang experience strange visions from his brick?

Lang experiences visions after purchasing several black bricks from an Australian seller. He describes the brick beginning to speak to him after a personal tragedy, the death of his brother. Notably, he found the death oddly untroubling, which suggests the bricks may have influenced his emotional state or perception. The visions and communication seem to intensify after significant emotional events.

  • Lang
  • visions
  • brick
  • brother
  • death
Q5

What government research is connected to the bricks?

The podcaster discovers an old article written by journalist Shiloh Lowden that details governmental research bearing similarities to the phenomena surrounding the bricks. This connection suggests the bricks are not isolated incidents but part of a larger, possibly official investigation into unknown phenomena. The exact nature of the research remains partially mysterious, but it parallels the supernatural experiences people have with the bricks.

  • government
  • research
  • Shiloh Lowden
  • investigation
Q6

Why does Paula accuse the podcaster of ruining her life?

Paula, Floramae's daughter, accuses the podcaster of resentfulness and claims her life was ruined due to the podcast's revelations. The family faced consequences after the police became involved following Paula's violent behavior, which led to the discovery of the brick on their property. The podcaster's investigation exposed secrets that had legal and personal repercussions for the family.

  • Paula
  • Floramae
  • accusation
  • family
  • ruined
Q7

How does the duplicate of the podcaster form?

After the podcaster experiences intense nausea and retrieves a black brick from her mouth, she destroys the brick in anger. However, it mysteriously recreates itself in her likeness. This suggests the bricks have the ability to duplicate living beings, possibly by absorbing or copying their essence. The duplicate appears to be a perfect physical replica with its own consciousness.

  • duplicate
  • recreation
  • brick
  • confrontation
  • clone
Q8

What happens in the final confrontation between the podcaster and her duplicate?

In the climactic final scene, a deadly confrontation ensues between the podcaster and her duplicate. They struggle, and one loses their life while the other manages to record a final message, hinting at a secret they are poised to share that promises to shift everything they know. The ending is ambiguous, leaving the fate of the protagonist unclear.

  • confrontation
  • duplicate
  • death
  • message
  • ending
Q9

Why does the podcaster decide to erase her recordings?

The podcaster decides to erase her recordings after facing mounting emotional turmoil from her investigation. This includes confronting her father's claims about Paula's violent behavior, the police involvement, and the discovery that her own family was connected to the bricks. She appears to want to distance herself from the dangerous truth she's uncovered.

  • recordings
  • erase
  • emotional
  • decision
  • withdrawal
Q10

Why does the podcaster retrieve a brick from her mouth?

The podcaster suffers intense nausea and subsequently retrieves a black brick from her mouth. This bizarre physical reaction suggests the bricks may have a biological or parasitic nature, capable of existing inside human bodies. The experience marks a turning point where the investigation becomes deeply personal and physically affecting.

  • brick
  • mouth
  • nausea
  • physical
  • bodily
Q11

What does it mean when the brick 'speaks' to someone?

When the brick 'speaks' to someone like Lang, it indicates the bricks possess some form of consciousness or communication ability. The speech seems to occur during vulnerable emotional states, particularly after trauma like the death of a loved one. This phenomenon appears to be the brick's way of establishing a connection or influence over the individual.

  • speaking
  • communication
  • consciousness
  • Lang
  • influence
Q12

What do the symbols found in Lang's scans represent?

The symbols found in Lang's scans are examined by the podcaster's MIT friend and revealed to be from no known language. These symbols appear connected to the shredded paper the podcaster pieces together from the package she receives. The unknown language suggests the bricks originate from an advanced or otherworldly source that predates human linguistic systems.

  • symbols
  • scans
  • language
  • unknown
  • MIT

Movie threads

More Movies Like Monolith, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Monolith tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about Psychological Unraveling like Monolith

Stories where a character's grip on reality frays under the weight of investigation. If you enjoyed the mind-bending tension of Monolith, this collection features movies like it where protagonists confront mysteries that blur the line between fact and fiction. These similar psychological thrillers focus on unreliable narrators and the unsettling erosion of reality, perfect for fans of investigative paranoia.

  • unreliable narrator
  • paranoid
  • psychological
  • uncanny
  • investigative
  • claustrophobic
  • Tone: dark, paranoid, uncanny
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a driven individual investigating an anomaly, but the deeper they dig, the more the evidence seems to reflect or distort their own psyche. The plot structure often involves gathering cryptic clues from witnesses, leading to a climax where the protagonist must confront a doppelganger, a repressed memory, or a fundamental truth that shatters their worldview.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped together because they share a core theme of epistemological crisis. They create a cohesive experience through a dark tone, steady pacing that builds dread, and a heavy emotional weight derived from the protagonist's psychological collapse. The ambiguous endings leave a lasting sense of unease.

Claustrophobic Thrillers with Atmospheric Dread like Monolith

Slow-building tension that isolates characters in a web of unease. For viewers who liked the isolating and anxious vibe of Monolith, this list highlights similar mystery and sci-fi stories defined by their claustrophobic atmosphere. These movies share a steady pacing and high intensity, building unsettling tension in confined spaces or paranoid mindstates, much like Monolith's descent into conspiracy.

  • claustrophobic
  • atmospheric
  • anxious
  • slow burn
  • uneasy
  • isolating
  • Tone: dark, unsettling, anxious
  • Pacing: steady, slow burn
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative is character-centric, trapping the protagonist in a situation—physical or psychological—that grows increasingly oppressive. The plot unfolds through gradual revelations that deepen the mystery without providing clear answers, prioritizing a consistent mood of anxiety over conventional plot resolution. The journey is often more important than the destination.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their masterful control of mood. They share a dark tone, steady pacing that methodically increases tension, and a high-intensity viewing experience rooted in psychological dread. The shared use of claustrophobic, anxious, and uncanny moods creates a distinctly cohesive and unsettling vibe.

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Movies Like Monolith

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Every angle

Monolith (2024) Explained: Plot, Ending, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Monolith in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning, the ending explained and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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