(NOTE: An abridged version of this review was originally published here.)
** (out of 4)
The final shot of Alejandro Landes’ Monos encapsulates everything that the film could have been but isn’t. A group of military troops have just flown over a jungle in Colombia and rescued Rambo (Sofía Buenaventura), a former child soldier in a FARC-esque guerrilla movement called “The Organization.” As the group prepares to land in an unnamed city, the camera pans to Rambo, who turns and looks at the audience with a pleading, teary stare.
In many ways, Rambo’s traumatized expression reflects the terrible things he’s been through.