Photo courtesy of IFC Films.
If you’re up for a film that tells as little as possible, but says so damn much, you might want to check out Andrea Pallaoro’s most recent film, “Monica.”
Pallaoro is insistent on creating portraits of women—his last feature was titled “Hannah”—and there will apparently be a third portrait that will fill out this loose trilogy. And “Monica” is a beautiful contribution. The film is seen from the perspective of its titular character, a woman who, years ago, was kicked out of her home by her mother for wanting to be who she was—a woman.
As trans stories go, this one feels different. Monica (Trace Lysette) learns that her mother’s (Patricia Clarkson) health is declining and is given the opportunity to travel home and see her one last time before her mind goes. She decides to go—a decision that does not immediately reveal its complexity. It takes a while for Monica’s troubled history with her mother to be brought up, and it is never stated outright that Monica is trans. Pallaoro drops context clues along the way that build her character, until a conversation with her brother (Joshua Close) tips the scales of understanding.
Monica’s fears are beautifully relayed by Pallaoro’s decision to trickle forth information. She is uncertain of what her mother’s reaction will be if she tells her who she is, and so she introduces herself as Monica and nothing more.
One might expect a film with a trans protagonist to focus on identity—the journey she took to let her true self come out, the conflict she met along the way. But Monica has had years to unwrap her identity, and, while we don’t know too much about what that past entails, we do know pretty immediately in the film. Pallaoro makes constant use of Monica’s cell phone to reveal what’s happening in her head—that her focus has turned to connection.
Here, we have a woman who chose to be herself at the loss of her family, and a woman who chose to side with her beliefs, also at the loss of her family. The film gives us very little information of either party’s life prior to this reunion, which may actually be a credit. It is less about making amends than it is about the time they have left.
“Monica” holds a particular power in the unspoken. While films that portray the clash of trans vs bigot, or the redemption of a parent who has come around, can be very cathartic, this film shows a different side of the coin, weaving in the tension of Monica’s uncertainty with her desire to be there with family. It is never confirmed that her mother knows who she is, and maybe she doesn’t. But there’s a whole lot of context that points to her knowing, making use of the time she has with her daughter.
Lysette and Clarkson’s delicately nuanced performances resonate powerfully on the screen together, and, for every delicate question that the film refuses to speak out loud, we find an answer in our own hearts as the film goes on.
Don’t miss your chance to see “Monica,” which plays at Midtown Cinema this month.
Midtown Cinema is located at 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.midtowncinema.com.
May Events At Midtown Cinema
Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense Film Series
“The Birds” (1963)
Sunday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m.
“Psycho” (1960)
Sunday, May 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 19 at 9:30 p.m.
“Rebecca” (1940)
Sunday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Down in Front! comedy riffing presents
“Iced” (1989)
Friday, May 12 at 9:30ish
National Theatre Live presents
“The Crucible”
Sunday, May 14 at 5 p.m.
Moviate Film Festival
May 19 to 21
AAPI Festival presents
A free screening of
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Friday, May 19 at 9:30 p.m.
AAPI Festival presents
The documentary
“Feeling Asian”
Saturday, May 20 at 3 p.m.
National Theatre Live presents
“Best of Enemies”
Starring David Harewood and Zachary Quinto
Sunday, May 21 at 5 p.m.
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