Monica, 2023.
Directed by Andrea Pallaoro.
Starring Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, Emily Browning, Joshua Close, Adriana Barraza, Bobby Easley, Graham Caldwell, Ali Amine, Jean Zarzour, and Ruby James Fraser.
SYNOPSIS:
The intimate portrait of a woman who returns home to care for her dying mother. A delicate and nuanced story of a fractured family, the story explores universal themes of abandonment, aging, acceptance, and redemption.
There’s a moment in Monica that emotionally carves one into 100 pieces, deepening every dynamic on display. That revelation will come to viewers at different times (for some, that could be before the movie begins). It is a delicately handled reveal, recontextualizing the authentic slice-of-life story about a woman returning home to her estranged family, reuniting with her mother terminally ill with a brain tumor.
The characters already feel achingly human and complex, but that vital layer turns co-writer and director Andrea Pallaoro’s (collaborating on the screenplay with Orlando Tirado) family drama upside down without ever explicitly digging deep into the past or disrespecting certain characters; the filmmakers know that is not necessary, and that the less said is better. We understand what happened and feel it intensely as we observe these characters calmly reconnect and interact with one another. Without entirely giving up what’s happening, it is safe to say that Trace Lysette delivers an astonishing, masterclass performance as the titular Monica, especially when it comes to restrained emotions and the weight of thousands of unspoken words across her muted facial expressions, and that it tells an incredible LGBTQ story.
Monica (Trace Lysette) works as a massage therapist and is currently going through a rough patch with an unseen past romantic partner named Jimmy, who she wants to call and find a way to repair things, even if it seems like it’s not the best idea and that she is minimizing her worth. This dilemma is temporarily shelved when she receives a call from a woman named Laura (Emily Browning), married to her brother Paul (Joshua Close) with young children, splitting time caring for his mom Genie (a frail Patricia Clarkson filled with regret and complicated feelings, at least when she understands her surroundings and whereabouts) with a caretaker played by Adriana Barraza.
This brings Monica back home to a mother that no longer recognizes her, slowly bringing up small details about the past, what led her to become separated from the family, and not just her identity, but those of her younger relatives also struggling to figure out who they are. These things are all interconnected, as it’s made apparent that Laura and Paul have been consistently bickering about certain topics, ones unquestionably related to his past with Monica before the estrangement.
The drama is nuanced and beautifully handled, but Andrea Pallaoro’s direction also imprints several images in mind, with intimate framing, poetic reflections, and powerful usages of the Academy ratio and extreme close-ups. As Monica tries to move on from the past and ingratiate herself back into this family and everyone’s current lives, she also drifts back into old habits, such as an encounter at a bar with a trucker where she continues to have trouble standing up for herself. Nevertheless, her dynamic with Jimmy reaches a breaking point over the phone. Monica also explores these harsher, more downbeat aspects without jumping into overwritten, melodramatic territory. There’s not a false note anywhere in the storytelling here.
Admittedly, while everything within Monica is beautifully tied together, the second half might be doing a bit too much, and it doesn’t so much end on an emotional high note but rather something satisfactory in terms of understanding and seeing these characters exactly for who they are, and the freedom that everyone deserves. However, while the story moves along slowly, it does mostly remain captivating. That anchoring performance from Trace Lysette is central to that; she is outstanding, and the film has a way of crystallizing everything about the story through minimalism while still evoking overwhelming emotion.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
