Seven sisters: Noomi Rapace is playing identical siblings in What Happened To Monday (Picture; Netflix)

Noomi Rapace plays seven identical sisters in Netflix’s new dystopian thriller, What Happened To Monday.

The world these sisters are born into is one where – due to a lack of food – the government has decreed that when more than one child is born into a family, only one sibling is allowed to live.

Farewell to Orphan Black – and all its complicated women

Those remaining will then be taken away for freezing.

Not wanting to risk the lives of six of his granddaughters, one man concocts a plan to keep them all.


He names them after the days of the week and tells them that they will assume the identity of one woman and only go outside on their allocated day.



Cut forward thirty years and Rapace embodies the seven now very different sisters, each with their own unique style, demeanour and personality.

‘In one sister, Rapace is smart and sweet, in another she is feisty and badass, in another she is calm and controlled’ ‘Picture: Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock)

And when Monday disappears, it’s up to the other six to figure out where she went, while trying to evade capture.

What Happened To Monday is action packed and intense but where it really shines is in managing to explore the complex situation these siblings find themselves in during just a two-hour film.

When they are at home, they can be themselves, dress how they want to dress, entertain themselves however they choose.

But they are stuck indoors for six days out of every week and this seclusion inevitably takes its toll.

They cannot form any real attachments on the outside world and they live under the constant fear of discovery.

And different people react differently to such pressures…

Because when does being alive become more important than actually living?

When do the needs of others become more important than your own needs?

And how can you truly be yourself if you’re only yourself behind closed doors?

Though some of the sisters are perhaps more fully developed than others, looking at how these different personalities can come out of the same environment is still fascinating.

How can you truly be yourself if you’re only yourself behind closed doors? (Picture: Netflix)

Each of them has their own drive, their own motivation and their own desires.

And the fictitious woman they have created for the outside world is not entirely fictitious – she is a mixture of all seven of them.

And they must share in this one woman’s triumphs and disappointments, because whatever it maybe belongs to them all.

In one sister, Rapace is smart and sweet, in another she is feisty and badass, in another she is calm and controlled.

Through the sisters, she is at once frustrated, loyal, supportive and overwhelmed.

She is both creative and stifled.

She is, to say the least, complex.

Rapace’s clever and impressive take on these siblings is incredible to watch, especially when so many of the opening scenes have all seven of them together in one room.

Overall, some parts of the film work less well than others.

However, Rapace’s embodiment of these siblings is a true testament to her acting abilities.



And the pace and tension of the film – and shocks along the way – will keep viewers hooked until the end.

It’s worth nothing that, for anyone still mourning the loss of Orphan Black – another story that has one actress portraying numerous characters – this is a real treat.

There’s even a bit with an eye that will have the Clone Club looking nervously at their pencils.

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