MONOS Trailer Promises A Surreal, Violent Take On LORD OF THE FLIES

Disclosure: Tim League, founder and CEO of Birth.Movies.Death.’s parent company Alamo Drafthouse, is a co-founder of NEON.

Alejandro Landes' Monos won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award at this year's Sundance Film Festival. The US distribution rights were quickly snapped up by NEON, and it's scheduled for a September 13th domestic release. Now, there's a trailer, and irrespective of the above disclaimer, holy smokes this movie looks interesting:

Lots of fine and eye-opening imagery in there, coupled with what seems to be a spirit equally joyous and dangerous. The official synopsis reads as follows:

MONOS, Alejandro Landes’ awe-inspiring third feature, is a breathtaking survivalist saga set on a remote mountain in Latin America. The film tracks a young group of soldiers and rebels -- bearing names like Rambo, Smurf, Bigfoot, Wolf and Boom-Boom -- who keep watch over an American hostage, Doctora (Julianne Nicholson).

With a rapturous score by Mica Levi (UNDER THE SKIN and JACKIE), director Alejandro Landes examines the chaos and absurdity of war from the unique perspective of adolescence, recalling LORD OF THE FLIES and BEAU TRAVAIL in a way that feels wholly original. Landes brings together a diverse young cast of both seasoned professionals (including Hannah Montana's Moisés Arias) and untrained neophytes and thrusts them into an unforgiving, irrational and often surreal environment where anything can happen — even peace.

I'm a sucker for stories that thrust people into positions of power and danger for which they're ill-equipped, so this beautiful- and original-looking child-soldier movie looks absolutely up my alley. The young cast looks to have solid chemistry, and Julianne Nicholson is an underrated actress in general. Plus, a Mica Levi score! That's enough to sell me.

Monos releases September 13th.