WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY: HER SAFETY OR HER MIND?

The search continues for the hidden gems among Netflix's vast collection of mediocrity. It would seem the creators have a special knack for Sci-Fi and documentaries. They ought to refine their focus to those genres. Needless to say, their standards for film need serious improvement. Fortunately, "What Happened to Monday" is one such gem. It is a unique dystopia story that speaks on the complexities of devotion and betrayal within a family.

In a future where the world is plagued with overpopulation, Dystopia ensues. A new governmental regulation mandates a one-child law. Any families caught with more than one child are forced to surrender their access children It is a disturbing form of dictatorship where the word "sibling" becomes feared and despised.

In this particular story, a family of septuplets (seven sisters) is forced into a complex underground lifestyle. Each sister is designated to one day of the week where they can emerge from hiding, all playing the role of a single identity, Karen Settman. One persona shares the energy and brainpower of seven minds. The world acknowledges her to be a tireless genius. It proves to be a brilliant business strategy, but each individuality suffers. As the siblings grow older, the more restless they become for lives and spaces of their own. However, their lives depend on their secrecy. Is such a life worth living? Monday doesn't think so.

While the story speaks to a growing concern regarding Earth's growing population, the solution is problematic. It is not a solution to freeze people for an uncertain future. Authorities like Nicolette Cayman are kicking the can down the road. She appears to be making her problem the future's problem. That's no solution; that's stalling. Not everything is as it appears, and it becomes the mission of Tuesday through Sunday to discover Cayman's grave deception.

First, they must find their sister, Monday, who disappears after a crucial day of work. Tuesday joins her. The remaining five are forced out of hiding to investigate, but it comes at a great cost. Four sisters lose their lives, a strong indication that authorities have more to hide than a warehouse of frozen children. Instead, they find a pile of ash larger than those preserved at Concentration Campsites.

Worse, they discover betrayal by one of their own. Monday turns out to be a colder person than her sisters and jealous coworker suspect. She wants Karen Settman's success all to herself. After years of collaboration and equal work, she rips the rug out from under her sisters as soon as a promotion comes her way. She goes behind her sisters' back and subjects them to annihilation. Her bitterness and jealousy corrupt her to the core. She is the one who exposes their deepest secrets. She is the reason four of her sisters die and the other two suffer. All over her greed.

There is a silver lining to Monday's heartless betrayal. The ordeal leads her stronger and smarter sister to uncover a terrible conspiracy. The dictatorship that plagues the world comes to a swift end, and families are free to come out of hiding. It provides a bitter-sweet ending. Though the world becomes free again, the problem of overpopulation and limited resources come back into play.

It leaves one wondering which they would rather have: a short, free life or prolonged misery. The answer should be easy, especially for believers. There is a life after this world where there is room for all life and resources are abundant. There are no secrets, lies, or betrayals. That is the life to which we should look forward.