It's clear from the start that Landes is out to make a tragedy about innocence lost and the wickedness of political movements that rule by remote control with the capriciousness of Greek gods. He's succeeded brilliantly.

There are allusions to William Golding's Lord of the Flies, but that fine novel, and Peter Brook's 1962 screen adaptation, though also elliptical, provided far more satisfying drama than Landes somewhat frustrating epic...

There's something ... of Werner Herzog's Aguirre, Wrath of God in Colombian director Alejandro Landes's surreal, wildly beautiful third feature.

Monos chills you to the core from its sheer intensity. Here is a story where narrative detail is minimum, but thematic substance couldn’t be more plentiful.