Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- paranoid
- oppressive
- late night thriller viewing
- psychological horror marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the premise and Noomi Rapace's performance compellingly creepy, while several felt that muddled subplots and an unsatisfying resolution weakened the thriller.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Anna's abuse history and fear of losing Anders shape how she interprets the baby monitor's noises and the apartment building around her.
The giant apartment building, secret relocation, and constant monitoring turn a supposedly protective home into an oppressive maze.
Anna keeps the baby monitor in Anders's room and listens obsessively for signs that her son is in danger.
The strange sounds, suspected child murder, social-services pressure, and Anna's trauma sustain uncertainty about what is actually happening.
Films like The Monitor, and why
The Others
shared paranoid atmosphere, unreliable perception, maternal anxiety, and psychological thriller structure
The Babadook
shared domestic trauma, ambiguous reality, child endangerment, and slow-building psychological dread
Shutter Island
shared Scandinavian thriller sensibility, fractured perception, and a protagonist destabilized by unresolved trauma
Repulsion
shared apartment-building paranoia, oppressive isolation, and disturbing uncertainty about what is real
Movie Details
- Director
- Pål Sletaune
- Release Date
- 2011-10-07
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (160)
Cast
- Noomi Rapace
- Vetle Qvenild Werring
- Kristoffer Joner
- Stig R. Amdam
- Maria Bock
- Torkil Høeg
- Henrik Rafaelsen
- Tom Hugo Nielsen
- Mona Engh
- Eva Zeidler
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Monitor about?
- A traumatized mother in hiding uses a baby monitor to investigate a possible child murder, only to find her grip on safety and reality slipping.
- What is The Monitor like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Monitor as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Monitor violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Monitor as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Monitor?
- Critics broadly found the premise and Noomi Rapace's performance compellingly creepy, while several felt that muddled subplots and an unsatisfying resolution weakened the thriller.
- Which films are like The Monitor?
- Films with a similar feel include The Others, The Babadook, Shutter Island, and Repulsion.
- How long is The Monitor?
- The Monitor runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Monitor?
- In United States, The Monitor is available to rent or buy from Google Play Movies, YouTube.
