Noomi Rapace Plays Seven Roles In The Phenomenal 'Seven Sisters' Trailer

Every now and again an actor gets the chance to really push the envelope. Think along the lines of Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black, or James McAvoy in Split. These roles that challenge actors; they test their mettle. If the first trailer for upcoming sci-fi thriller Seven Sisters is anything to go by, Noomi Rapace, who you might recognize from Prometheus and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, has taken on just such a role.

Or, rather, she's taken on seven of them at once. Check out the trailer to see what I mean...

Yep, this sci-fi thriller stars Noomi Rapace as all seven siblings in the title. It's an incredible challenge; each sister will need to feel like a fully-rounded character in her own right.

What Do We Know About Seven Sisters?

The film is set in a not-so-distant future where overpopulation has led to famine, and the world's government has imposed a strict One Child policy. It's all policed by the Child Allocation Bureau, which seeks out unauthorized children in order to put them to 'sleep.' In this troubled dystopian world, one family hides a terrible secret: their mother gave birth to sextuplets. Rather than put six of the seven to death, the family hides them, with each sister sharing a single identity. So the world sees "Karen Settman," who is actually seven people.

Inside the family, each sister is referred to by the day of the week on which she's allowed to go out. The film was originally called What Happened to Monday? Because one day, Monday's biosigns go down, and her sisters are left wondering what's going on. Soon we're launched into an all-action campaign against the Child Allocation Bureau!

The Real-World Basis Of Seven Sisters

Like all the best science-fiction films, Seven Sisters is rooted in a real-world problem. Overpopulation is a global issue. In the late 1700s, Thomas Malthus suggested that natural events would keep the population in check – famine most notably. Now, with population at 7.5 million and counting (over 250 children are born every minute), scientists are concerned about whether Malthus's predictions will turn out to be right.

In the late 1970s, China's population levels seemed to be coming to a crisis point. The Chinese government had encouraged large family sizes in order to increase the nation's workforce, with population growing from around 540 million in 1949 to 930 million in 1976. In response, China imposed the One Child Policy, an attempt to create a demographic policy that would prevent the country becoming overpopulated.

How do we deal with the possibility of overpopulation? China's One Child Policy saw the Chinese government wander into an ethical minefield, and, understandably, few countries have followed suit. It's clear that Seven Sisters will give director Tommy Wirkola a chance to use science-fiction to explore these issues. It's a fascinating prospect.

Seven Sisters will debut August 23rd on #Netflix in France, and we don't yet have a release date for US and UK audiences. Still, the fact this excellent trailer has been released for viewers worldwide surely suggests we'll be getting a release date soon!

Are you planning to watch 'Seven Sisters' on Netflix?