What Happened to Monday (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The movie is set in a dystopian future world in the year 2073, where overpopulation has led to the creation of the Child Allocation Bureau (C.A.B.), an oppressive government agency that enforces a strict one-child policy. The C.A.B. headquarters serves as the central symbol of state control, where families are monitored and children are taken away if they exceed the allowed limit. This totalitarian system creates a climate of fear and secrecy throughout society.

• child allocation bureau
• cab
• dystopian
• overpopulation
• government control
• one-child policy

The movie takes place in the year 2073, a time when Earth faces a severe overpopulation crisis that has prompted governments to implement extreme measures like the one-child policy. This policy has fundamentally transformed society, tearing families apart and forcing people to live in secrecy to avoid detection by authorities. The world is characterized by strict government surveillance and the constant threat of the C.A.B. enforcing population control laws.

• 2073
• future
• overpopulation
• one-child policy
• dystopian world
• year setting

Identity is a central theme in the film, as the seven identical sisters are forced to share a single identity called Karen Settman to survive in a world that would kill them for existing. Each sister represents a different aspect of individual identity and personal desire, yet they must suppress their individualism to live as one person. Their constant struggle to maintain their separate identities while existing as a unified front creates a poignant narrative about the tension between personal self and collective survival.

• identity
• seven sisters
• Karen Settman
• individuality
• personal identity
• societal constraints

Sisterhood is a fundamental theme that drives the entire narrative, exploring the bonds of loyalty, sacrifice, and resilience among the seven sisters. Their unity becomes both their greatest strength and their most vulnerable point, as they must work together to survive while also protecting each other from the oppressive C.A.B. system. The film emphasizes how family ties become a powerful force against authoritarian control, with the sisters willing to risk everything for one another.

• sisterhood
• family
• loyalty
• sacrifice
• sisters
• unity
• family bonds

Survival is a relentless pursuit throughout the film, as the sisters navigate a world that threatens their very existence through the brutal enforcement of the C.A.B. When one sister, Monday, goes missing, the remaining sisters are forced to band together and fight back against the oppressive system. Their quest for survival highlights the extreme emotional and physical challenges they face while seeking justice and protecting one another from a totalitarian regime.

• survival
• resistance
• government oppression
• fight back
• C.A.B.
• dystopian survival

Monday is the responsible eldest sister who acts as the leader of the group, taking on the burden of guiding her siblings through a dangerous world. She embodies the principle of unity and is dedicated to protecting her sisters, often putting their collective well-being above her own personal desires. Her character represents the weight of familial responsibility and the sacrifices required to keep her family alive in an oppressive society.

• Monday
• eldest sister
• leader
• protective
• responsibility
• Karen Settman

Thursday represents the spirit of rebellion and yearning for freedom within the sisterhood. She frequently challenges the established rules that govern their shared existence and ultimately becomes a catalyst for change in their struggle against the C.A.B. Her character arc explores the conflict between loyalty to family and the deep desire for personal agency and individual freedom.

• Thursday
• rebellion
• freedom
• catalyst for change
• personal agency
• individual freedom

Adrian is a C.A.B. agent portrayed by Willem Dafoe who becomes entangled in the sisters' fight for survival. His character is complex with ambiguous loyalties, embodying the moral tensions between authority and empathy in a harshly regulated society. Adrian's role serves as a crucial turning point in the narrative, demonstrating how individuals within an oppressive system can question their allegiances.

• Adrian
• Willem Dafoe
• C.A.B. agent
• ambiguous loyalties
• moral complexity
• authority vs empathy

The sisters live in a grim dystopian world where overpopulation has led to extreme government control through the one-child policy. The society lives in constant fear of the C.A.B., which ruthlessly enforces population limits by taking away excess children. This creates an environment where families must hide their members and live in secrecy to survive, making the sisters' elaborate deception a matter of life and death.

• dystopia
• overpopulation world
• population control
• secretive living
• government fear
• totalitarian society