'What Happened to Monday?' Is a Terrifying Mix of 'The Hunger Games' and 'Divergent'

You can probably guess what happens next: lots of fighting, blood, and yes, death. (Sorry, but not all the sisters make it to the end of the film.) These scenes are exciting and adrenaline-pumping, sure, but they're something even more important: empowering—especially for women. The seven sisters outsmart their techno-savvy government by working together—using their strengths to stay one step ahead of the violent dudes hot on their tails.

In one particularly chilling scene, three men with scary guns lure five of the sisters out of hiding. The dudes laugh at the sisters and make some disparaging comments about them. Right as you think it's all over, though, one of the physically astute sisters takes a shot at the head lunkhead, and a full-out brawl begins, ending in the death of all the men hired to kill them. Granted, this isn't a fully victorious moment—one of the sisters, unfortunately, also dies—but it establishes the tone of the film. On some level, this movie shows what good can happen when women join forces.

It also shows what happens when they're adversaries. This entire blood bath began in the first place because one of the sisters—I won't tell you which—made a seedy deal with the government. She quite literally betrayed her sisters, and the result was carnage. Lots of it. The message isn't exactly subtle—but it's powerful.

And the film's references to The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Orphan Black aren't subtle either. Nicolette Cayman is eerily similar to Jeanine Matthews, the dictator who had a bone to pick with Tris in Divergent; the sisters' fighting style has distinct Katniss Everdeen shades; and, as I mentioned earlier, Rapace takes on seven. different. roles. That's Tatiana Maslany AF.

What Happened to Monday still has its own identity, though. For one, it's scary. Like, genuinely scary. (The Hunger Games and Divergent are great, but they won't keep you up at night.) But it's that theme of sisterhood that really sets Monday apart from its peers. Katniss and Tris are great female protagonists, but they're the only ones in their respective stories. Their narratives are inextricably linked to the male characters. In What Happened to Monday, the males take a backseat to the badassery of Karen Settman. Times seven. Whoever said there's power in numbers was absolutely right.

What Happened to Monday is streaming on Netflix right now. Go watch!