Well Go USA has announced that Matt Vesely‘s feature film directorial debut, the sci-fi thriller Monolith will release in theaters and on digital February 16, 2024.
A bold, unnerving and claustrophobic film with one actor and shot in one location, Monolith explores questions of truth, privilege, conspiracy, and the fact that each of us sees what we want to see – and believes what we want to believe. Truth is no longer the great monolith that underpins the world – power is.
Directed by Vesely, from a script penned by Lucy Campbell (“The Big Nothing”), and starring Lily Sullivan (Evil Dead Rise), the film centres on a disgraced journalist who, while trying to salvage her career, begins investigating a strange conspiracy theory. But as the trail leads uncomfortably close to home, she is left to grapple with the lies at the heart of her own story.
Commenting on the film, Vesely said: “As a filmmaker, I’ve always been interested in the ways that genre can be used to test emotional and political truths. I’m fascinated by science fiction that is not technological, but human. Monolith explores privilege, guilt, and the question of whether the “truth” holds any intrinsic value in a world so easily manipulated. These are reckonings with which I see the world battling all around me. Monolith is a story I feel is important for me to tell in order to take responsibility for my own place in the world, not only as a human being but also as a storyteller — a test that our Interviewer will, unfortunately, ultimately fail. That said, it was vital to me that this messaging was delivered in a way that is thrilling, terrifying and completely captivating. While we’re grappling with expansive ideas in Monolith, this isn’t a dour film: rather, it’s a roller-coaster ride, a delicious performance piece, a sci-fi thriller that is ready to not only entertain but also to rip audiences apart.”
The film received its international premiere at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival in the Midnighters section to rave reviews so we can’t wait for this one to entertain and rip us apart when it drops this February 16.
