The Girl From Monday

The majority of films take place in the past, which makes sense, since everything that’s ever happened, happened in the past. However, everything that’s going to happen is going to happen in the future, and as philosophers like to point out, we put a much higher value on the future than the past (for example, imagine something terrible happening to you … would you rather it were in the past, or in the future?), so it would make sense to make stories about the future. The downside of the future, though, is that it looks so dim that we’re going to have to wear illuminated glasses just to see our way through to the introduction of the next war-based soft-drink product. Hal Hartley understands this, and has produced a tremendously dark, but somehow warmly human and funny film about the future.The Girl From Monday takes place in New York City after a corporate world takeover has turned all activities into means of raising one’s credit rating. People have sex to increase their buying power, purchase useless items to improve their attractiveness and socialize only in order to enhance their marketability. Basically, it’s the world of today, only there are beautiful space aliens who don’t understand shopping, and a counterrevolution that places value on feeling good. Which, come to think of it, might still be just like today.