Bryan Singer gets out of the director’s jail for being a creep with Monument. It co-stars Jon Voight, another known creepozoid. However, the drama was written by Alena Alova, who is not a creep. Plus, it stars Joseph Mazzello, another noted non-creep. Besides, so long as the creepy vibes are reined in and talent is on display, does it matter that an artist is problematic?
The Israeli military launched Operation Peace for Galilee in 1982. At the conclusion of the Second Israeli invasion of Lebanon, a slow withdrawal of troops was agreed upon. In 1999, Israeli troops were still in the country, and tensions were mounting again. It is under these circumstances that Amon (Mazzello) and his father, Yakov (Voight), take a secretive meeting where they are hired to craft a monument for the fallen soldiers of the war. While it started out just as for the Lebanese, this doesn’t sit well with Amon. So his concept brings both sides together. While the client isn’t fully on board with the change, they do give their blessing.
However, all that was the easy part. It is the construction of the monument that truly puts Amon, his wife, Osnat (Aviv Pinkas), and their two children in danger. See, the architect has to cross the border every day and night, which puts him in the crosshairs of protesters, bandits, and soldiers with loose trigger fingers. Will the monument be completed, or was it rubble the moment it was conceived? Can Amon continue crossing the border without getting killed?
Monument is shocking in a number of ways. While Singer cannot direct a musical to save his or anyone else’s life, he still has instincts for building tension with characters the audience cares about. There’s a scene where Amon gets out of his car because of bandits. It is intense, and one isn’t certain if blood will be shed then and there. A sequence involving a flyover of a jet is scary. Singer may not be a good person, but he is a damned good director.
“It is the construction of the monument that truly puts Amon, his wife, Osnat, and their two children in danger.”
Of course, it helps that the material the filmmaker is working with is very good. The screenplay has no fat, despite a near 120-minute runtime (113 to be exact). Amon’s rationale and desire to make the monument are clear and reasonable. His relationship with his wife is perfect, even though they only have a few scenes together. When Osnat lays into Amon about what he’s doing, and she wishes he were having an affair instead, it is a gut punch on several layers. Amon and Yakov’s bond isn’t quite as strong, but it is still fleshed out enough to be believable.
Monument also gets a lot of mileage out of its cast. Amon is driven by just a few ideals, meaning if the actor couldn’t plumb those depths, the character wouldn’t be interesting. Luckily, Mazzello is superb, bringing warmth and understanding to a part that could’ve been boring in the wrong hands. Pinkas is this film’s Will Patton: intense, engaging, and utterly human. Voight’s grasp of accents is still suspect, but he’s not sleepwalking here.
Finally, the score by Kenneth Lampl needs to be mentioned. The music throughout is genuinely great. It never oversells the emotions but does underscore the main emotion in each scene. The film is good, but the music pushes the whole production to greatness.
Monument is an engaging and dramatic look at an unknown true story. The cast is wonderful, led by an outstanding Mazzello, whose turn here shows why he’s been steadily working since he was a child. His co-stars are equally splendid. Singer’s 8-year hiatus hopefully did him some good, personality-wise. But he never lost his touch in his time away from the camera. He directs with an eye toward the script’s emotions and the creation of tension in the perilous setting. A few minor faults keep it from being perfect, but it sure is close.
"…Mazzello is superb..."
