The Monitor

Anna, scarred by a traumatic past, and her young son Anders relocate to a sprawling Oslo apartment block that looms over the city. The move promises a fresh start, but the new home quickly feels more like a trap. To keep watch over Anders as he sleeps, Anna buys a baby monitor and clamps it to the crib. The device becomes a constant presence in their rooms, whispering voices and restless whispers into the quiet of night. As the walls tighten and unfamiliar sounds creep through the hallways, Anna's grip on reality grows thinner, and the building seems to press in from every side. The ambient corridors echo with unseen eyes.

Directed by Pål Sletaune, The Monitor arrives as a tense Norwegian drama with an original screenplay by Sara Johnsen. The cast centers on Noomi Rapace as Anna and Kristoffer Joner as Helge.

Critics describe the film as a lean character study that uses the threat of surveillance to probe motherhood and memory. The story concentrates on Anna's nervous vigilance and the way fear reshapes ordinary spaces. Visuals and sound design heighten paranoia, turning a quiet apartment block into a pressure chamber that tests trust and perception.

Worldwide box office totals around 1.42 million dollars, reflecting a modest release outside its home country. The figure marks The Monitor as a specialist thriller with limited commercial reach rather than a wide audience hit.

The film has a niche footprint among Nordic thrillers rather than a broad cultural impact. It is noted for featuring Noomi Rapace in a Scandinavian language project and for its crisp, claustrophobic atmosphere that underscores how domestic spaces can radiate threat. While it may not produce famous lines or iconic scenes, its approach to surveillance and maternal anxiety resonates with viewers who seek quiet tension over loud shocks.