Little Monsters

“Despite Little Monsters marketing Lupita Nyong'o as headliner, she sees her screen time eroded by other characters.”

Title: Little Monsters (2019)
Director: Abe Forsythe 👨🏼🇦🇺
Writer: Abe Forsythe 👨🏼🇦🇺

Reviewed by Joseph Hillyard 👨🏽🇺🇸

Technical: 4/5

A quirky indie film from Australia, Little Monsters adds a few humorous wrinkles to the well-worn tropes of classic zombie movies. It follows Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o), a schoolteacher who defends her class from a horde of flesh-eating zombies with shovel attacks to the head—and charming ukulele songs, too. Filmmaker Abe Forsythe successfully mines dark humor gold from this unique premise and benefits from a stellar performance by the always impressive Nyong’o.

Gender: 3.5/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES, but barely

Despite the film’s marketing of Nyong'o as headliner, she unfortunately sees her screen time eroded by other characters.

Little Monsters opens on Dave (Alexander England), a washed-up musician going through a rough breakup with his girlfriend as he stays with his sister and her son, Felix (Diesel La Torraca). When Dave takes Felix to school at the behest of his sister, who exasperatedly asks he start “contributing” if he is to stay in her home, he meets the gorgeous and affable Miss Caroline. A predictable rom-com arc follows, of watching Dave learn to be a (somewhat) decent human being through his connection to his young nephew and burgeoning relationship with the schoolteacher. Unfortunately, despite Nyong’o’s top billing, Miss Caroline never progresses beyond a one-dimensional ideal, with little backstory outside of a failed romance brought up only to let Dave know she’s single.

Given Miss Caroline’s shallow role and the lack of other supporting women of significance, Little Monsters easily could have landed a lower score in this category. But the strength, ferocity, and effortless grace that Nyong'o brings to her performance makes up some of the lost ground. Easily the best thing about the movie, Miss Caroline is both mild-mannered and badass. Her position as a schoolteacher somewhat leans into the stereotype of women as caregivers, or as solely concerned with the well-being of children, but thankfully she’s given enough physicality in the film to counteract those tropes.

Other women do exist in positive but minor roles. Dave’s ex-girlfriend might be seen mostly during screaming matches, but she’s portrayed as the sane adult in their broken relationship. In addition, Felix's overworked but caring mother crops up in various scenes, never reinventing the wheel nor offending in any way.

Race: 3.75/5

People of color are seamlessly woven into the world of Little Monsters. Nyong'o, born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, pulls most of the weight as the film’s leading lady. But she also presides over a fairly diverse classroom, and outdoor scenes are similarly populated.

The only instance of non-white characters retaining any cultural specificity, however, arrives in the form of Chinese tourists who are picked off as soon as the zombie outbreak begins. The joke feels crafted with minimal intelligence, finding its giggles by having Mandarin-speaking foreigners take photos and pose with peace signs before being violently mauled by the undead.

Between this uninventive gag and the film’s primary focus on Dave, who is white, this category can only advance so far.

Bonus for Disability: +0.25

Felix announces his many food allergies early on, foreshadowing a later scene where he suffers a serious allergic reaction and requires epinephrine. Thankfully, his characterization extends beyond his condition.

Mediaversity Grade: B 3.83/5

Hardly a masterpiece by any measure, Little Monsters is still worthwhile if you’re looking for a fun diversion with a charming lead actress.

Like Little Monsters? Try these other titles featuring Lupita Nyong’o.

Grade: BLiJanuary 12, 2020